International Day of Solidarity – CEIRPP meeting – Verbatim record

COMMITTEE ON THE EXERCISE OF THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS

OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

VERBATIM RECORD OF THE NINETY-FIFTH MEETING

Held at headquarters, New York,

on Tuesday, 29 November 1983, at 10.00 a.m.

Chairman: Mr. SARRE (Senegal)

CONTENTS

Commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

This record is subject to correction.

corrections should be submitted in one of the working languages, preferably in the same language as to text to which they refer  They should be set forth in a memorandum and also, if possible, 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 DC2-750, 2 United Nations Plaza, and incorporated in a copy of the record.

Any corrections to the record of this meeting will be issue in a corrigendum.

The meeting was called to order at 10.45 a.m.

COMMEMORATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): I should like first of all to extend a welcome to the President of the General Assembly, to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, to the President of the Security council, and to all those who are taking part in the commemoration, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 32/40 B, of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. I should like to ask all the participants in this meeting to rise and observe a minute of silence in tribute to the memory of those freedom fighters who gave their lives for the cause of the Palestinian people.

The participants, standing, observed a minute of silence.

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): On behalf of the members of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and on my own behalf, I should like to express gratitude to all participants for having agreed to attend this meeting on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Their participation at this special meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People bears witness to the importance they attach to the quest  for a just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine. We are most grateful, and we welcome them among us.

As all present are aware, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People was established by the General Assembly to assist in a Programme of Action to help the Palestinian people recover and exercise its inalienable rights.

The commemoration on 29 November of every year, of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People accords with the wishes of the General Assembly expressed in its resolution 32/40 B, and rightly falls within our Programme of Action. It has two essential objectives: to draw the attention of the world to the condition of the Palestinian people and to mobilize world opinion on the need to take action to enable that people to recover and fully exercise its inalienable rights. This appeal has met with a favourable, heartfelt response throughout the world, and the international community has expressed its sympathy for the cause of the Palestinian people. Proof of this is to be found in the numerous messages we received last year on the occasion of the commemoration of this Day of Solidarity from Heads of State or Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs and various international organizations. This day, which is commemorated throughout the world, proves beyond any doubt the solidarity of world public opinion with the heroic Palestinian people, whose struggle is identified with all those forces waging the war against injustice and oppression. We hope next year to get a wider response to our appeal from the community of nations and peoples.

Above all, 1983 was the year of the International Conference on the Question of Palestine. This Conference, convened at the request of the United Nations General Assembly centred on the encouragement of common thinking outside the traditional forum of the United Nations General Assembly in seeking the most appropriate ways and means of arriving at a just solution to the problem of Palestine.

Having participated in the Conference, and having knowledge of the final -document that was adopted, members have been able rightly to assess the results of that important gathering, at which an international peace conference on the Middle East was proposed. That conference, held under United Nations auspices, in which all the parties to the conflict would participate on an equal footing, including the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the United States and. the Soviet Union, seek a just and lasting comprehensive solution to the conflict.

Certainly, a number of obstacles has yet to be overcome in the realization of this idea. In this respect, the Conference was but a beginning, and every effort must now be made to implement the relevant resolutions and decisions. The international community will thus remain faithful to its commitment to enabling the Palestinian people to exercise its rights in its own independent State. Our efforts will be all the more useful because the triumph of the Palestinian people has far from been achieved. The Security Council, on the recommendation of the General Assembly, has taken a stand on the rights of the Palestinian people, but some countries, while recognizing the legitimacy of the Palestinian people, still impose conditions which render exercise of their rights impossible.

We believe that the results attained in Geneva will give new impetus to all the good will we have shown. As an instrument for peace, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People spares no effort in this direction and will, as in the past, be open to all views. Its sole concern is to bring peace to that afflicted nation.

I shall conclude by once again expressing on behalf of the Committee and on my own behalf, appreciation to the Secretary-General for the assistance he and collaborators have given us throughout the year now coming to an end. We also wish to pay a special tribute to Madame Lucille Mair, the Secretary-General of the Conference on the Question of Palestine, whose praiseworthy efforts greatly contributed to the success of that Conference. Our thanks go also to the Division on Palestinian Rights, so competently headed by Mr. Yogasundram, and to Mr. William Buffum, the Assistant Secretary-General, who has so effectively assisted us in all the tasks entrusted to him by the Committee.

We express our gratitude to Mr. Jorge Illueca, President of the General Assembly Mr. Victor Gauci, President of the Security Council the Chairman of the regional groups of the United Nations special committees the governmental observer the observers of Committee the Ambassadors or Permanent Representatives and the liberation movements for their attendance here and their willingness to co-operate with us and with our Committee in the discharge of the mandate entrusted to it by the United Nations.

I should now like to call on the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Mr. Jorge Illueca.

Mr. ILLMEA (President of the General Assembly) (interpretation from, Spanish): As President of the thirty-eighth regular session of the United Nations. General Assembly, I am pleased to participate in this meeting convened by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. We are meeting on this solemn occasion to fulfil a solemn mandate of the General Assembly that was adopted by an overwhelming majority of votes and gives clear proof of the will of the Member States in solidarity to join in the defence of the Palestinian cause.

This is a symbolic act representing reaffirmation of the determination of the international community to fight for the achievement of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. I believe I am speaking for the General Assembly when I express the hope that this celebration will draw the attention of world public opinion to the question of Palestine and thereby facilitate the attainment of the United Nations objectives. The United Nations has been dealing with the question of Palestine for many years. Although the General Assembly has approved various resolutions, drafted in good faith and designed to find a just solution to the problem, all efforts have been frustrated. Nevertheless it is our duty to mankind not to hesitate in our endeavours to solve this problem, which for many years has been a source of friction and contributed to the aggravation of tensions in the middle East region, giving rise to conflicts that have threatened international peace and security and been actual breaches of the peace.

The achievement of a broad, just and lasting peace in the Middle East is a task so urgent that it will brook no delay. That objective can only be achieved when we have guaranteed the right of all States to live in peace, within secure and recognized boundaries, and when the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people are actually being exercised, including the right to return and the right to independence and the establishment of a free, independent, non-aligned State on Palestinian soil Under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) the genuine political representative of that people.

I trust that at this, its thirty-eighth session, the General Assembly will contribute to the achievement of a just and lasting peace. consideration of the item, which began yesterday in the General Assembly, presents us with a new opportunity to deliberate on the matter and seek now peace initiatives. In the spirit of compromise and support for justice, it will always be possible to advance, and success is not beyond our reach. What is needed is an atmosphere of trust as well as realism. No political problem is insuperable if there is a political will to find a solution.

The International Conference on the Question of Palestine, which was held at Geneva this year, has given new impetus to our quest for a solution. Let us continue with our endeavours, with resolute determination to settle this problem, which concerns a region whose very history imposes on us the obligation to Persevere in our efforts) after all, it is not only the cradle of civilization but also the birthplace of the three major monotheistic religions.

Regrettably, for many years that region has experienced grave conflicts that have repeatedly threatened peace and security. Let us reaffirm our decision to put an end to this cycle of violence and keep alive our hope that justice will be secured for all the inhabitants of the region, including the Palestinian people.

Let us not forget the old adage I mentioned in my statement to the General Assembly.

When the roads of hope are closed, the paths of violence are opened."

This solemn meeting is proof that hope has not been lost. All that is needed is determination on the part of the international community to continue its efforts to end the violence that has struck the Middle East region and find a peaceful solution to a great political problem which profoundly affects all mankind.

Mr. Chairman, allow me to state that the efforts made by the Committee on the Exercise of the inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People under your wise guidance are praiseworthy and serve to keep hope alive. I hope that you and the Committee will successfully carry out the enormous task entrusted to you, in which you can rely on the support, respect and trust of the General Assembly, in accordance with the United Nations Charter.

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): I now call on Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar, Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The SECRETARY-GENERAL (interpretation from French): This special meeting commemorating the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People stresses the importance the United Nations attaches to the question of Palestine and its determination to achieve a just and equitable solution to this difficult political and human problem.

Since 1947, when the United Nations was seized of this problem for the first time, the question of Palestine has required the constant attention of the international community, but despite all the efforts made no solution has yet been found. Today, as the result of successive wars, most Palestinians live under occupation or in exile, and many of them are living in conditions of extreme tension and insecurity. Even more painful than their physical trials is the suffering resulting from the loss and insecurity caused by their expatriation.

Over the years, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has made untiring efforts to improve the situation of the Palestinians as much as possible by making available to them shelter, food, medical care and educational service. With limited resources and often in difficult and dangerous circumstances the UNRWA staff has carried out its altruistic mission with admirable devotion and courage, but the relief and assistance operations, important and significant as they may be, cannot release the international community from its clear obligation to find a solution to the central problem of the legitimate rights and future of the Palestinian people.

The tragic events in Lebanon last year, which culminated in the Sabra and Shatila massacres, have brought home to us with poignant intensity the tragedy Of the Palestinian people, and the urgent need to seek a satisfactory solution to the Palestinian problem and to the other aspects of the Middle East conflict with which, it is inextricably linked. The recent intensification of fighting in northern Lebanon, with the ensuing great loss of human life and suffering – on which the Security Council pronounced itself last Wednesday – the constant efforts made by the Security Council and the General Assembly and, most recently, by the international Conference on the Question of Palestine, have helped to outline the basic elements of a just and lasting settlement of the Middle Eastern conflict. These elements would include the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied territories the right of all States of the region to live in peace within secure and recognized borders and a just settlement of the Palestinian problem, based on recognition of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including its right to self-determination. In this regard, the question of Jerusalem remains of capital importance.

Despite the broad agreement which prevails in the international community, there has scarcely been any progress towards the necessary comprehensive settlement because the various peace initiatives launched so far have unfortunately, run up against the opposition of one or another of the parties, whose positions have never been in harmony. Given this lack of progress towards a harmonious, just and lasting settlement, the problem has tended to become more complicated and aggravated and to take on new and dangerous dimensions. I earnestly hope that, faced with this risk of new sufferings and new dangers, all the Governments and authorities concerned, as well as those that are able to use their influence, will make a resolute effort to achieve an overall, just and lasting settlement, which alone can ensure coexistence and peace in the Middle East.

in this regard, I reaffirm my conviction that the United Nations, and more particularly the Security Council, has a constructive and crucial role to play in the process of establishing peace. I should also like to reiterate that I, for my Part, am firmly determined to do everything within my power to ensure progress in this process and to create conditions conducive to negotiations. The fate of the victims on all sides and the cause of world peace demand this.

Mr. Chairman, we are all aware of the efforts being made by the Committee under your enlightened leadership to ensure a just solution to the Palestine question. Please permit me on this occasion to congratulate you personally, Sir, as also the members of the Committee, on your untiring work and to wish you success in your important mission.

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): I now call upon Mr. Victor Gauci, President of the Security Council.

Mr. GAECI (President of the Security council) The Chairman, allow me first of all to thank you and the members of your Committee for inviting me as current President of the Security council to participate in this important and solemn meeting, which perhaps assumes special importance today. The annual observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People has its symbolic significance. It is also an evident reflection of the international community's deep concern over the problem of Palestine as an essential element of the Middle East conflict. That region has seen repeated major crises which have unfortunately affected the lives of millions of human beings and seriously endangered the peace and security of the entire world. Those events have required the urgent attention of the Security Council – in fact, as recently as last week indeed, the Palestinians are passing through a particularly agonizing period during these very days.

The precarious situation in Lebanon and the recent developments in the area make it even more imperative that the parties directly concerned and, indeed, the international community as a whole, regard the request for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East as being closely connected to the settlement of the Palestinian problem. This difficult and arduous search has so far been unsuccessful, but the efforts continue. Among those efforts are those of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People under your able leadership, Sir, and it is to be commended for its untiring commitment to the attainment of Palestinian rights and the search for a peaceful solution.

The work of your Committee is a constant reminder*to the Palestinian people that the international community is deeply concerned about their plight and the need to ensure the implementation of their legitimate rights. The recently concluded International Conference on the Question of Palestine has concentrated the attention of the United Nations on this question as never before, and it has made a tangible contribution to the search for a viable, peaceful solution.

Guided by its responsibilities under the Charter, the Security Council will I am convinced, continue its efforts to seek a just and lasting peace in the Middle East for the benefit of all the parties concerned. Therefore, Mr. Chairman, I assure you and the Palestinian people that the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people remain in the forefront of the Council's attention.

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): I now call on Mr. Shafik Al-Hout, who will read a message from Mr. Yasser Arafat.

Mr. AL-HOUT (Palestine Liberation organization (PLO)) (interpretation from Arabic): I have the great honour to read out the following message to this Committee from my brother, Mr. Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian Peoples.

"It is my duty on the occasion of this annual International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, our peoples. to offer all those who have contributed to the solemn commemoration of this international day the warmest thanks of my people and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). This day, 29 November every year, reflects the international community's sincere support for, and interest in, the Palestinian issue and the international community's acute awareness of the most just cause of our time.

"If this problem has not yet had the appropriate solution and the great sufferings and war have not yet ended we must blame the Zionist aggressor and its powerful ally, the United States, as the United States defends and gives comfort to the brutal policy of aggression and territorial expansion being carried out, and gives its blessing.

"We can be proud and confident and our resistance can remain unflagging precisely because every year we can see this international mobilization, which strengthens our determination and gives us comfort in our struggle. it strongly proclaims a loud no to injustice, aggression, oppression, racism and colonial war by the same token, it says with the same strength yes to justice, rights, -International law, legality, legitimacy and human rights, and a very strong yes to freedom, liberation, democracy, peace and justice.

"On behalf of our people and its allies, and on my own behalf, I should like to state once again how grateful I am to all the leaders of friendly countries for their words of encouragement addressed to us on this great day.

Despite the specific nature of this occasion and the very important factors having an impact on our cause and the course of our struggle, as a fighter who knows very well the sufferings of our people to this very day and as one who is well acquainted with the death and destruction caused by the aggressive racist expansionist policies and the resulting war and accumulation of arms of mass destruction to impose a diktat upon reason and deliberation, I believe it to be necessary that in harmony with all the national liberation movements I include the voice of the PLO in support of, and in solidarity with, all those who are clamouring for an end to the mad arms race, which is continuing the dissemination and accumulation of nuclear arms.

I beseech the American people to assume their responsibility to save mankind and to spare it a war in which there would be no victor, the inevitable result of which would be the annihilation of our planet. Millions of young people still in the very flower of youth today turn to all those who occupy responsible positions and beseech them truly to assume their responsibilities and allow those young people to remain alive. They beseech then to adopt policies which would spare lives and ensure well-being and justice, rather than injustice, loss of life and suffering. It in up to all of us, great and small, to show ourselves equal to, and responsive too, the just demands of the young people of our world in this regard.

"All the messages addressed to you on this occasion, Mr. Chairman, show that the international community is being constantly warned against conspiracies and manoeuvres against the just causes of people, and I have always drawn attention to the Israeli conspiracy, plots and manoeuvres, with United States collusion, against the well-being and security of our peoples painful proof of the real nature of Zionist ideology, which has inherited the essence of colonialism. It has been made clear to us over the decades – and I have had to point this out again and again – that despite everything we have said, despite our predictions, in most cases events have gone beyond anything we have predicted and have exceeded the limits of imaginable horror.

"But our people have stood firm against all these plots and conspiracies", and have remained deeply devoted and loyal to the eternal-principles which have guided them and ensured that they have never fallen victim to the treacherous manoeuvres of the aggressor. Therefore, we have remained loyal to humanism and democracy, to international law and legality.

Our courage has never failed us for a moment. Even during the darkest moments of our struggle we have always tried to respond to the efforts made the quest for a political solution which would guarantee our legitimate rights' and spare all of mankind war and desolation. We have never dropped the olive branch, and the enemy has never succeeded in disarming us. We have struggled and held firm, and we shall continue to do so.

"Our struggle will not end, for it is a struggle for our very rights Aggression and occupation will not vanquish us. We shall continue our struggle with undiminished determination, and shall pursue our political initiatives in the same way, never losing faith in the international community, for this is the era of the peoples, and the international community will ultimately succeed in imposing its will.

"That is why we in the PLO supported and participated in the International Conference on the Question of Palestine held at Geneva after five regional conferences which brought together representatives from all over the world. That Conference was held in spite of the obstacles raised by the Unite d States and in spite of the pressure and threats of that country, and it was able to adopt a declaration and a programme of action.

All of this shows clearly that with the exception of two regimes the Israeli and United States regimes – the world's Governments and peoples are in favour of the Palestinian cause and have opted for a solution guaranteeing justice in the region. There can be no doubt about what kind of justice it is clear to everyone. The international community has repeatedly reaffirmed, in the United Nations and outside it, what right is at stake in this matter in a word, it is our right of self-determination, to return to our home and to our motherland, from which we were chased. it is our right to recover our property, of which we were dispossessed, and it is our right to build our own State on our own national soil of Palestine.

"The PLO, the sole authentic representative of the Palestinian people, is most appreciative of the results of the Geneva Conference as reflected in its declaration and programme of action, and we implore our friends in the General Assembly to implement the provisions of those documents.

"No one today can be ignorant of our sufferings. The Members of this Organization have always stood by our side, making it possible to withstand this crisis, the dangers of which are well known to all. Without going into detail, I would recall that we in the PLO possess political and moral principles which cannot be shaken by crises or difficulties. The cause of our people – the liberation of our territory and the recovery of our rights – is a cause we shall never renounce, whatever the crises or problems we may face. For us, everything else pales beside that cause.

"The PLO the supreme spokesman for and representative of our people, the symbol of its struggle, the voice of its desires and aspirations, is no mere political group or revolutionary party. It is the political embodiment of Palestinian being, of the will of the Palestinian people to lead that patriotic being to its true, ultimate reality in a free, independent and worthy homeland where all citizens can live in dignity, guided by the unchanging principles that dictate the policy of the PLO.

Our loyalty and commitment to the principles of political democracy and to the right of every Palestinian to have his or her say with respect to his or her destiny and struggle have made our policies and our conferences a beacon for the entire democratic world. Our strength is based on our principles. During crises we have always supported the legitimacy and democracy which ultimately constitute the best weapons in the struggle for victory.

“The next principle of our organization is inherited from our long struggle, from our devotion to the free will of the people, from our national history and from our deep-rooted knowledge of the truth about the Arab-Israeli conflict. It is the democratic nature of our organization and the struggle of, our people, which no one can call into question, for there has been ample proof that throughout our struggle we have remained a democratic Arab people.

"Our next principle is that we always turn to the Arab nation for our strategic needs. That is why we have always worked to strengthen our ties to our Arab brethren. Often the PLO has been a gaming piece, tossed from one country to another. It has acted as a runner, as an intermediary in problems which set one part of the Arab world against another. On these occasions we have always offered our solidarity to the peoples which have been the victims of policies of hegemony.

“In conclusion, I should like to say that the Palestinian people has never failed its cause. The PLO is their sole, authentic spokesman and the PLO is not a passing, ephemeral phenomenon, nor does it depend upon any resolution because it will always survive any resolution or determination make it disappear and the world must finally realize that the colonial era has disappeared never to return and that no one can oppress a people determined defend their right to existence and freedom.

"I am aware of the extreme difficulty of the task entrusted to you, Sire, and to my colleagues here. I am aware that we have chosen the narrow gate and that this road is fraught with ambushes. I know we are travelling through minefields at all times in this struggle. Nevertheless, I have faith*in our people and I am convinced that it will achieve its objectives and will be able to build its State and recover its freedom if there are men of conscience on this earth who come forward to help us. We have faith in the justice of our cause and feel that our people indeed deserves its rightful place in this world."

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French)” I now call on the Chairman of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, the Special Committee of 24, Mr. Abdul Kroma of Sierra Leone.

Mr. KORMA (Sierra Leone) Chairman of the Special Committee of 24: Mr. Chairman, on behalf of the Special Committee I wish to thank you and the members of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for inviting me to participate in this solemn meeting which commemorates the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

The annual observance of this Day, established by a considered decision of the General Assembly, serves to focus the attention of the international community in the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and to give the widest possible exposure to the facts relating to those rights. The observance in not only a measure of the international community's deep concern for the Palestinian people but also reflects its recognition that a just solution of the Palestinian problem in of overriding importance. The Palestinian question constitutes the core of the Middle East problem and there can be no solution to that problem without a positive settlement of this issue.

As we are all aware, the situation in the Middle East not only vitally affects the stability of the region but carries a potential threat to the peace and security of the entire world. Despite the gravity of this threat, and despite the tremendous efforts that have been made to find a just and lasting solution to the Problem, it continues to be one of the most intractable issues facing the international community.

None the less, the fact that peace in the Middle East has eluded us for so long does not release us from our responsibility to continue our search for a solution. on the contrary, our commitment to this goal must be reinforced with a sense of urgency. The unresolved issue of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people remains a highly explosive one and every effort has to be made to solve this problem on the basis of the Charter and the relevant resolutions of, the United Nations.

In the recent past, several steps have been taken in order to contribute to the solution of the problem of Palestine. These have not met with unanimous acceptance, so that whatever has been achieved has invariably fallen far short of our objectives. We should not be discouraged, however, by this lack of progress; indeed, it should serve to inspire us to even greater efforts to achieve a just secure and lasting peace.

We in the Special Committee on Decolonization attach great significance to the mobilization of international opinion towards the attainment of the objectives of the United Nations on the question of self-determination for all peoples under alien and colonial domination. We are profoundly aware of the power of an alert, and informed world public opinion in the struggle against injustice, oppression and, alien and colonial domination. It therefore gives me great satisfaction to join in this effort to enlighten and mobilize international opinion on the question of Palestine before such an influential gathering assembled here today.

The situation today remains most critical and explosive as uncertainty, discord and violence continue to prevail in the area. On this important occasion, it becomes all the more important therefore that we firmly rededicate ourselves to the promotion of a genuine and lasting settlement of the Middle East conflict. However, as I stated at the outset, the attainment of such an objective will continue to elude us unless the core of the Middle East conflict – namely, the Palestinian question – is resolved. We must therefore work diligently for the realization of that objective and for the creation of all the conditions favourable to a just and lasting peace in the area. These include the realization of the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, the right to establish an independent State and the right of all States in the area to an independent existence, and strict observance of the principle of non-acquisition territory by force.

This important day provides us with an opportune occasion to reiterate once again our solemn commitment and determination to extend maximum support to the Palestinian people as a united whole and to associate ourselves with the defence of their noble cause. In this context, and in keeping with the relevant decisions of the General Assembly, it is incumbent on all of us to work closely and to operate fully with the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People in the discharge of its important task, to enable the Palestinian people to decide their destiny in accordance with their freely expressed wish and their true aspirations. For only through our collective efforts and through complete implementation of the relevant decisions of the United Nations on the injustice inflicted upon the Palestinian people be corrected.

Before concluding, I should like to acknowledge with appreciation the very important work carried out by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People under the outstanding and dedicated leadership of Ambassador Sarre of Senegal.

Mr. Chairman, with your leave, I shall now perform my duty as Chairman of the African Group on this occasion.

On this International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, allow me on behalf of the African Group of States at the United Nations to pay a warm tribute to the Palestinian people who over- the past decades have been valiantly struggling for the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination and independence.

African Heads of State, convinced that it is the inalienable right of all peoples to control their own destiny, immediately after the attainment of our independence resolved that the question of Palestine constituted both an Arab and an African issue. Therefore, the African Group of States at the United Nations has Always demonstrated its unstinted solidarity with its Palestinian brethren in their Just struggle to regain their independence.

At the recently concluded nineteenth summit meeting of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity, the African leaders – conscious of the seriousness of the present situation resulting from the continued occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories by Israel, its refusal to respect the resolutions of the General Assembly and the security Council, its firm determination to establish settlements in the occupied territories, especially in Jerusalem, thus altering the geographics, demographic, cultural and social characteristics of Palestine – reiterated their unwavering support for the people of Palestine, led by the Palestine Liberation Organization, their sole legitimate representative, and reaffirmed the right of the people of Palestine to continue their struggle under all political and military forms and to use all means to liberate their occupied territory and to recover their inalienable national rights, particularly the right to return to their homeland, the right to self-determination and the right to establish an independent State in their territory.

It in against this background that the African Group at the United Nations has strongly condemned any initiatives and measures which do not take into account the aspirations of the people of Palestine. The African Group has also condemned the expansionist policy pursued by Israel, aimed at expropriating Palestinian and Arab territories, and the mass or individual extermination of Palestinian people and their leaders with a view to forcing the Palestinians to emigrate and to modify the demographic characteristics of their territory.

The African Group is therefore convinced that the time has come for the international community to put an end to this situation. The nineteenth summit meeting of Heads of State and Government called upon Israel to comply forthwith with the pertinent resolutions adopted by the General Assembly on the Palestinian question and called upon the Security Council to implement the recommendation which had long ago been initiated by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.

African Heads of State and Government also commended the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for its efforts aimed at restoring the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and independence, including the establishment of a State of their own in Palestine.

I take this opportunity to pay a tribute to the Special Committee and to you, Ambassador Massamba Sarre of Senegal, for your indomitable leadership of the Committee.

Over the years the African Group has noted the increasing collusion between Israel and the racist regime of South Africa. The African Heads of State and Government have time and again called upon all Member States of the United Nations as well as the international community as a whole to intensify their efforts to face this danger which poses a threat to the peace and security both of Africa and the Middle East.

As I stated earlier, the people of the African continent, who have themselves endured the agony and anguish of alien domination, completely identify themselves with the struggle of the Palestinian people for freedom and independence. We are confident that, notwithstanding the vicissitudes that have befallen them in recent days, in this their long march to freedom they will remain united and steadfast. Their cause is bound to triumph because it is a just one.

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): Before calling on the next speaker, might I remind this assembly that, in accordance with a well-established tradition, and bearing in mind the letter which I have had the honour to send to all Member States on 1 November, and also bearing in mind that we have only one day to commemorate this occasion, only messages addressed to the Committee by Heads of State or Government will be heard. The other messages – namely, those from Ministers of Foreign Affairs and prominent personalities – will be taken into account and published in toto in the Final Document which will mark this solemn occasion. This is not from a lack of courtesy; it is simply due to the time factor. The Committee does wholeheartedly appreciate all messages addressed to it on the occasion of this commemoration of international solidarity with the Palestinian people.

I now call on Mr. Sahnoun of Algeria, who will speak in his capacity as Vice-President of the United Nations Council for Namibia.

Mr. SAHNOUN (Algeria), United Nations Council for Namibia% The United Nations Council for Namibia wishes to express its profound thanks for the kind, invitation extended to it by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People to participate in the observance of the Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

The Council and its President have long appreciated the dedicated and exemplary leadership and efforts of the Committee in championing the cause of freedom of the oppressed people of Palestine. The Council for Namibia believes that the problems in the Middle East are inextricably bound to the Just solution of the question of Palestine and that the lack of a solution to this question will continue to aggravate tension and conflict in the region as well as to endanger international peace and security.

Recent events in the region have proved once more how true this is and how dangerous this, situation could become.

The people of Palestine continue to be denied their fundamental and inalienable right to live in freedom, peace and dignity in their own country. They have been uprooted from their own homes by Israel and have become homeless people in foreign lands. The international community cannot stand by and condone this unconscionable and inhuman action by Israel.

The Council for Namibia affirms once more its total adhesion to the United Nations General Assembly resolutions on the right of the Palestinian people to return to their home and property in Palestine and exercise the rights of self-determination, including the right to an independent State. The Council is convinced that the continuing denial by Israel of the just and righteous cause of the Palestinian people, their right to their homeland, is in substantial violation of the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations as well as of United Nations resolutions on the question of the attainment of nationhood by all peoples under foreign and colonial domination.

The Council for Namibia believes that all States have an obligation to force Israel to comply with the wishes of the international community, in particular the provisions of the General Assembly and the Security Council on the question of Palestine. The United Nations must leave no stone unturned in its efforts to impress upon Israel that the international community rejects Israeli attempts to make Jerusalem its capital city contrary to Security Council resolutions 476 (1980) of 30 June 1980 and 478 (1980) of 20 August 1980, which rejected the declaration by Israel making Jerusalem its capital.

The recent Geneva Conference on the Palestinian Question has given us new hope for the proposals suggested in the consensus agreement are an excellent basis on which the international community can act, and the sooner the better. That Conference was a great success on which we congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, as well as those who contributed to its success, and particularly Mrs. Nair, Secretary-General of the Conference.

The question of Palestine, like the question of Namibia, continues to torment the conscience of the international community. The Council for Namibia demands that South Africa and Israel be required to comply with the universally accepted norms of the international community or continue to stand condemned for their defiance of world opinion. The Council for Namibia believes that South Africa and Israel can, and indeed should be compelled to comply with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations on the questions of Namibia and Palestine. The Council for Namibia strongly believes that effective means to compel South Africa and Israel to comply with United Nations resolutions can readily be found in the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations. (spoke in French) Allow me now to read a message which President Chadli Bengjedid, the President of Algeria, has sent on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People:

"On the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, I should like, on behalf of the people and Government of Algeria, to reaffirm our constant support for and unswerving solidarity with our brothers, the Palestinian people, struggling to recover their national inalienable rights in commemorating this Day, which occurs at a time when the situation in the Middle East has seriously deteriorated and when dangers fraught with consequences threaten the Palestinians and their resistance, we should once again like to remind the international community of its historical responsibilities in regard to the Palestinian people, which have been chased from their home, despoiled of their goods and forced to take the road to exile.

“The demands made by the Zionist forces of a martyred people, which culminated with the Sabra and Shatila massacres, have made the situation intolerable. The logic of the continued settlement of Israelis on Arab lands is the same as that of the liquidation of the Palestinian people and its resistance and denies their right to self-determination and return.

"Algeria, for its part, while condemning the plots hatched against the Palestinian people and their resistance, reaffirms that it is up to the United Nations to set everything in motion for the Palestinian people to recover their legitimate national rights, including their right to self-determination and their right to return and establish their own independent and sovereign State under the leadership of their only legitimate representative, the Palestine Liberation organization".

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French) I now call on Vladimir Kravets, Vice-Chairman of the Special Committee Against Apartheid.

Mr. KRAVETS (Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic) Vice-Chairman, Special Committee against Apartheid Mr. Chairman, I wish, on behalf of the Special Committee against Apartheid, and on my own behalf, to express thanks to you and to the members of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for the invitation to participate in this commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

The international community has witnessed, in the year which has elapsed since the last solemn meeting, developments culminating in further suffering for the people of Palestine. Such events reaffirm the view of peace-loving peoples all over the world that it is impossible to ensure a comprehensive settlement of the Middle East conflict without resolving its core – the Palestinian question. The long-awaited solution must recognize the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, to return to their homeland and to establish their own independent State in Palestine. This cannot be achieved while the Israeli occupation of Palestinian and other Arab territories is continuing. -Furthermore, the establishment of Israeli settlements in those territories is contrary to international law and to numerous resolutions adopted by the United Nations, as well as by regional, global, governmental and non-governmental organizations.

The Israeli Government continues in its attempts to subdue the desire of the Palestinian people to free themselves. Israeli measures have been applied with cruelty and without respect for the human rights of the Palestinian people.

Israeli practices have led to loss of life and constant intimidation of the oppressed people of Palestine. There is always-racist behaviour in the Israeli handling of this question.

Israel, in denying the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, thought it might overcome the problems through oppression and intimidation inside the occupied territories, as well as by escalating its aggression against Arab States.

However, the desire of peoples for freedom cannot be conquered through force and intimidation.

Israel has also been conducting an unjust campaign to defame the United Nations. Israeli propaganda machinations, as well as those of its supporters, have utilized every effort to discredit our Organization. The latest example is its malicious attack against the International Conference on the Alliance between South Africa and Israel held in Vienna from 11 to 13 July 1983, which was organized by the Special Committee in co-operation with the Afro-Asian People's Solidarity organization, the Organization of African Trade Union Unity and the world Peace Council. The Conference, which helped in exposing the seriousness of the elaboration between Israel and South Africa in all fields, particularly in military and nuclear matters, was one of the major projects of the Special committee this year.

The Special Committee has also submitted a special report to the General Assembly and the Security Council on recent developments concerning relations between Israel and South Africa. That report points out very clearly the seriousness of the alliance between these two regimes. Israeli assistance to South Africa in the military and nuclear fields has become a serious obstacle to the reports of the United Nations to eradicate apartheid from the continent of Africa.

The threat posed by South Africa's nuclearization is not confined to southern Africa. If not chocked, it will engulf this planet. The Chairman of the Special committee stated before the General Assembly, on 17 Novembers.

"At a time when humanity is faced with the gravest dangers, the situation, in southern Africa and that in the Middle East may well be the powder kegs of a conflagration that may endanger its very existence (A/38/PV.60, P. 6)

Our concern at the collaboration between these two regimes stems from the fact that they constitute an alliance detrimental to the interests of African and Arab peoples. The General Assembly has repeatedly called for the cessation of that diabolical alliance. The Special Committee has submitted several reports on this matter but is faced with the arrogant and contemptuous attitude of Israel.

By recognizing the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the authentic representative of the Palestinian people, the General Assembly has served the cause Peace and justice in the Middle East. Therefore the international community t once again express its solidarity with the Palestinian people and its sole authentic representatives, the Palestine Liberation Organization. The people of Palestine have suffered tremendously for the last 35 years. In the last two decades the PLO has been able to present adequately the case of the Palestinian people at the Unite d Nations and in many international forums. The PLO is the voice of millions of Palestinians inside and outside the occupied Palestinian.

We earnestly hope that it will be able to overcome all the setbacks and continue effectively to represent the Palestinian people and their just cause. The Special Committee has invited the PLO to many of its conferences and meetings. We are looking forward to continued co-operation.

On behalf of the Special Committee, I should like to extend our congratulations to you, Mr. Chairman, and to the other members of the Committee for the excellent manner in which you have conducted the committee's work. I wish you success in your endeavours and affirm our resolute support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): I call on Mr. Ignatius Fonseka, Chairman of the Special Committee to investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories.

Mr. FONSEKA (Sri Lanka), Chairman of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories: I should like to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for giving me this opportunity to speak on my own behalf and on behalf of the other two members, from Senegal and Yugoslavia, of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the occupied Territories.

At this very time the Special Political Committee of the General Assembly is examining the latest report of the Special Committee, contained in document A/38/409.

Since its establishment by the General Assembly in 1968, the special Committee has examined and reported on the human rights situation of the civilian population of the territories occupied by Israel since 1967. I would recall that its mandate is limited to the territories which are still occupied by Israel subsequent to the 1967 hostilities, namely, the West Bank, including Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights.

In carrying out its task, the Special Committee has dedicated its efforts owe again to providing the General Assembly with a faithful chronology of events in those territories. The Special Committee has spared no efforts to ensure that this chronology is based on information that has been corroborated and stands the test of credibility. The situation reflected in the report shows a continuation of the process of annexation and settlement by Israel in those territories. Today there are over 150 such settlements in the occupied territories. The civilian population continues to resist these and other measures related to the policy of annexation off those territories. Therefore, not a day passes in the occupied territories without an incident involving violence.

The general policy of the Government of Israel is reflected in statements according to which the occupied territories are part of a Jewish homeland, "Eretz Israel", and consequently their annexation is not necessary since they form part of the Israeli "homeland". In the view of the Special Committee, statements of that nature confirm that the Government of Israel continues to follow a policy aimed at the annexation of those territories, in flagrant violation of its obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

The Israeli authorities have continued to use expulsion as a form of punishment; in addition to that there has emerged another factor which affects the human rights situation of the civilian population of the occupied territories, namely, the death and bloodshed provoked by the-activities of Israeli settlers The presence of tens of thousands of Israeli settlers, all of whom are armed and in practice subject to no authority, in the occupied territories constitutes an unprecedented danger to the human rights. situation of the civilian population.

In addition to the civilian population in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights, we must not forget those civilians who fled those territories as a result of the hostilities and are still being denied the right to return to their homes. They, it must be recalled, include the majority of the Syrian population of the Golan Heights.

As we gather today we must not forget the plight of the civilian population under occupation, for which not a day passes without incident and without its being subjected to measures affecting virtually every single aspect of its life.

As stated in the context of the International Conference on the Question of Palestine, the responsibility of the international community does not in any way diminish even though the past has witnessed little in the way of tangible effort to Put an end to the persistent violations of the human rights of the civilian Population. Let us express the hope that the international c unity rises to its Obligation to rescue the civilian population from further abuse, for only thus can the cause of peace be served.

I seek the Committee's indulgence to read out the following message from my President, His Excellency Mr. J. R. Jayewardiene, President of Sri Lanka, on the Occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian Peoples Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories.

"The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People offers to the international community an opportunity to rededicate itself to the task of working for the restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people. The decision of the United Nations General Assembly to set apart such a day for the expression of solidarity with the Palestinian people is a reflection of the feelings of a great majority of those who support the just cause of the Palestinian people for their rightful homeland.

"The Palestinian people had but brief respite from the horrors and brutality of those unjust forces, which denied to them that their basic right to return to their homeland. Indeed, the call for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East is for a restoration to the Palestinian people of their inalienable rights, including the right to self-determination and return to their homeland. Today, this question remains as urgent an ever, demanding an early and acceptable solution.

"My Government and the people of my country share the outrage and horror of the world community at the continued repression of the Palestinian people. Our solidarity with their cause remains as firm as ever."

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): I now call on Mr. Natarajan Krishnan, who will speak on behalf of the Non-Aligned movement.

Mr. KRISHNAN (India), speaking on behalf of the Chairperson of the Non-Aligned Movement: Let me first thank the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for the invitation extended to me, as the representative of the Chairperson of the Non-Aligned Movement, to participate in the special meeting being held to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. I would like to begin by reading out the following message sent on this occasion by Her Excellency Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of-India and Chairperson of the Non-Aligned Movement:

"The Seventh Non-Aligned Summit, held in New Delhi in March this year, reaffirmed that the question of Palestine is the core of the West Asian problem. A just peace in the region can be based only on Israel's total and unconditional withdrawal from all occupied territories and the restoration to the people of Palestine of their national rights. India hopes to contribute through the Non-Aligned Committee of Eight on Palestine to finding ways of achieving a just, durable and comprehensive peace in West Asia.

"The Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. In trying times such as these, it is of the utmost importance to undertake all possible efforts to preserve and strengthen the unity and independence of the PLO.

"The Non-Aligned Movement fully supports the work of the Palestine Committee. This year the Committee organized in Geneva a successful International Conference on the Question of Palestine. There is now much greater understanding in the world community of the seriousness and urgency of finding a just solution to this problem.

"Ever since the days of India's freedom struggle, we have stood by the Palestinian people. On the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, I salute the brave man and women of Palestine. We reaffirm our solidarity with them and reiterate our unflinching support for their valiant struggle.

"My best wishes to the Palestine Committee for continued success in its endeavours.

 Right from the time of the first Non-Aligned Summit, held in Belgrade in 1961, the question of Palestine has been in the forefront of the deliberations and Activities of the Non-Aligned Movement. Non-aligned countries have been Particularly active in mobilizing international support in favour of the Inalienable rights of the Palestinians and against Israel's action in the occupied territories. It has chiefly been at their initiative that the majority of United Nations resolutions on the subject have been adopted. Indeed, the support of the Non-Aligned Movement for the just Palestinian cause and the solidarity of the Non-aliqned countries with the Palestinian people have been firm, continuous and Unwavering and there is an overwhelming consensus within the Movement on the basic principles pertaining to Palestine and West Asia. The Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries meeting in Now Delhi In March 1983 had the opportunity to re-examine exhaustively the question of' Palestine. They affirmed:

… that a just and durable peace in the Middle East cannot be established without the total and unconditional withdrawal of Israel from all Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied by it since 1967, including Jerusalem, and without the achievement of a just solution of the problem of Palestine on the basis of the attainment and exercise in Palestine of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the right … to establish the Palestinian Independent State in its homeland, Palestine." (A/38/132, p. 25 The Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries further affirmed that the PLO was the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. They called on the United Nations Security Council to impose on Israel the relevant sanctions prescribed in the United Nations Charter until Israel withdrew from all occupied Palestinian and Arab territories, demolished all Israeli settlements established in these territories and complied fully with the relevant decisions of the Security Council. The Now Delhi Summit also decided to set up a Committee of Eight at the level of Heads of State or Government to support the rights of the Arab Palestinian people in accordance with international law and the will of the non-aligned countries and their peoples and with the specific objective of working to achieve a just, durable and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their rights in freedom and sovereignty in their independent homeland. The first meeting of the Committee of Eight at the level of senior officials took place in Now Delhi on 30 and 31 October of this year. It recommended that a process of negotiation be launched without delay taking as its starting-point the consensus achieved by the Arab countries at the Fez Summit and the substantive issues contained in the General Declaration on Palestine and the Programme of Action for the achievement of Palestinian rights adopted at the International Conference on the Question of Palestine held in Geneva in August and September of this year. On 18 November 1983, the Chairperson of the Non-Aligned movement convened a further meeting of the Committee of Eight at the ministerial level to address itself to efforts that could be made in the light of the rapidly deteriorating situation in the region.

Referring to the Palestine Liberation Organization, the meeting recalled that the PLO had been recognized as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people at the Algiers Non-Aligned Summit. It was also recalled that in February 1983 the Palestinian National Council meeting in Algiers adopted a political programme and elected the Executive Committee of the PLO under the Chairmanship of Mr. Yasser Arafat.

With a view to discharging its mandate, particularly at that critical juncture, it was decided at that meeting that a ministerial group consisting of India, Cuba, Yugoslavia and Senegal, led by the Foreign Minister of India, Shri P. V. Narasimha Poo, should visit some Arab capitals. The group visited the concerned capitals and reaffirmed to all the personalities it met the stand of the Movement of the Non-Aliqned Countries in upholding the unity of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the struggle of the Palestinian people to realize their inalienable rights.

If I have gone into the activities of the Non-Aligned Movement in support of the Palestinian cause at some length, it is to emphasize that support for and solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters has been a fundamental feature of our Movement.

It would be remiss of me to close without a word of tribute to the Committee On the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People in its search for a just solution to the question of Palestine. We welcome in particular its work in organizing the International Conference on the Question of Palestine, which 80 abundantly demonstrated the extent of the solidarity in the world for the brave Palestinian people. No doubt much of the credit goes to the untiring efforts of the Chairman of the Committee, that is you yourself, Mr. Chairman.

India's sympathy for the Palestinian Arabs has been part of our foreign policy since its very inception. Their struggle may be long and arduoust we have no doubt that the ultimate victory will, however, belong to them. Let this historic Occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People inspire us all to rededicate ourselves to the Palestinian cause, which is undoubtedly our Own- Our voice will be one with theirs till victory is won.

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): The next speaker is Abdel-Rahman Abdalla of Sudan, Chairman of the Arab Group.

Mr. ABDALLA (Sudan) (interpretation from Arabic): Every year on the same day the international community demonstrates its solidarity with the Palestinian people, that valiant and heroic people, and shows its support for its struggle, which will be victorious, to recover its territory, taken by the Zionist aggressor, and its legitimate rights. The United Nations resolution relating to the proclamation of 29 November as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is an irrefutable, eloquent statement of the importance of the Palestinian cause to the international community, and it testifies to the growing international support for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and the building of an independent State on its national soil.

As we commemorate this day, that people continues to suffer. It has not yet recovered its legitimate rights, and this is justly a source of concern for the international community. The Palestinian people, under the leadership of its sole, legitimate representative, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), is continually making new sacrifices to achieve the objectives that it has sought for more than 30 years.

Ever since the expulsion of that people, the problem of Palestine has been a volcano threatening to erupt at any moment. It gravely threatens the peace and security of the Middle East and of the whole world. From the beginning this cause has been a major concern of the Arab nation and a historic challenge to it.

For a long time now the Palestinian people has been suffering tribulations, and these are a top priority for the international community, which on several occasions has affirmed that the problem of Palestine is at the very heart of the, Middle East problem, and that a just, lasting solution is one of the most urgent of issues if we want that region to know peace and stability.

This commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People comes at a time when many truths are being generally acknowledged. First, this cause has remained intact, despite Israeli attempts to detract from it and to devalue its principles. The Palestinian people has given evidence of the integrity and rightness of its cause, and the world has repeatedly, unequivocally and clearly protested against and opposed Israeli practices springing from Israel's racist ideology, aggression and expansion.

The racist entity of Israel has for years persistently tried to deprive the Palestinian people of its legitimate being, its individuality, and by the same token it has turned its back on the principles and resolutions of the United Nations in carrying out its policy, which has now become a declared policy of expansion by force of arms. The world has not forgotten Israel's repeated crimes against the Palestinian people, nor has not forgotten Israel's grabbing territories, resources and deporting indigenous populations. These crimes have taken on new dimensions with Israel's bombing of Iraqi nuclear installations, the annexation of the Golan Heights and the bombing of Lebanon. All this and the ensuing massacres are attempts to annex the territory and overcome the legitimate opposition of its inhabitants.

Israel's wanton destruction of buildings in the region, its attempts physically to destroy the Arabic nature of the region and its declarations that Jerusalem is its historic capital should be well-remembered here in the context of the Zionists' refusal to comply with international law and legal instruments. Israel thus defies the international community, and by the same token is trying to jeopardize the credibility of the United Nations. It has not been possible to dissuade Israel from continuing this policy, and this has resulted in new suffering for the Palestinian people.

The international community reaffirms its solidarity with the Palestinian people and also reaffirms that Israel's megalomaniacal dreams are the main threat to the Middle East. Israel's lack of respect for the will of the international community constantly runs the risk of bringing about a deterioration of the situation in the Middle East.

During-the International Conference on the Question of Palestine, held recently in Geneva, the international community affirmed that a just, lasting peace in the Middle East can be achieved only through the total, unconditional withdrawal by Israel from all the Arab territories, occupied since 1967, including the Holy City of Jerusalem, and Israel's recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to return to its homeland and build its own independent State on its national soil, under the leadership of its sole legitimate representative, the PLO. Those principles are immutable. Their implementation is vital for the realization of the rights of the Palestinian people and, God willing, its ultimate victory.

I cannot end without thanking the representatives of the Arab nation in the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Committee Itself for having organized this International Day. We also thank all those participating in this event. We hope that every possible effort will be made to enable the Palestinian people to exercise its right to self-determination and that this commemoration will mark a turning-point in the direction of the realization of the aspirations of the Palestinian people.

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): The next speaker is Mr. Birabhongse Kasemsri of Thailand, Chairman of the Asian Group.

Mr. KASEMSRI (Thailand): On behalf of the Group of Asian States and on my own behalf as current Chairman of the Asian Group I should like to express our deep appreciation to you, Mr. Chairman, as w ell as to the other members of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for giving me this opportunity to speak at this special event.

Today's meeting to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People enables us to review the abject plight of the Palestinian people. On this solemn occasion we should remind ourselves that a just and lasting solution to the problem facing these people is one of utmost urgency if we are to prevent further bloodshed and suffering. Moreover, we are all aware that until this problem is solved the Middle East conflict is bound to remain a burning issue with all its dangerous implications for international peace and security.

For more than three decades the United Nations has devoted a great deal of energy to the effort of arriving at a peaceful and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine. Several resolutions have been adopted by both the Security Council and the General Assembly which still provide the key to such a solution. Nevertheless, little tangible progress is being made. The situation in the Middle East, of which the Palestine question constitutes the central problem, continues to take a heavy toll of human lives, and new outbreaks of violence occur all too frequently. The tragedy of the Palestinian people persists with the continued denial of their inalienable rights by Israel, in particular their rights to self-determination and to return to their homes and property. Helpless refugees who huddle in makeshift encampments are made victims of events beyond their control and have suffered from brutal attacks and massacres. The unjust treatment of the Palestinian people in the occupied territories and elsewhere at the hands of the occupying Power violates their fundamental human rights.

Thus the painful plight of the Palestinians remains central to the Middle East problem, and a just and lasting peace in the region must be based on application of the basic principles related to this issue. The fundamental principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of foreign territory by force, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories occupied since 1967, the legitimate right of the people of Palestine to self-determination and the right of all States in the region to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries are but some of the essential elements of which the international community is overwhelmingly in favour.

At the same time the Israeli policy and practice of establishing settlements in the Arab and Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 have been deeply deplored by the rest of the world. Thus we urge all parties concerned to exert every possible effort to ensure the strict adherence to and respect of these basic rights and principles, and we demand, in particular, that Israel comply with the relevant United Nations resolutions without delay, which will certainly bring us nearer to  solution in the Middle East and contribute to international peace and security in general.

In this connection it is necessary that the Palestine Liberation Organization, which is recognized by the General Assembly as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, participate in all negotiations leading to a just and durable solution to the question of Palestine.

In concluding we should like to express our grateful thanks to you, Mr. Chairman, and to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, as well as to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Secretary-General of the International Conference on the Question of Palestine, the various United Nations bodies and agencies and others, for the invaluable contribution to the humanitarian relief and to the reaffirmation of the rights of the Palestinian people. The Committee in particular has worked untiringly on behalf of Palestinian rights. It has played and is playing an important role despite the difficulties involved in ensuring that the rights of the Palestinian People are not forgotten and will, sooner than later, be fully exercised in Accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and the relevant United Nations resolutions.

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): I now call upon Mr. Bronislav Kulawiec of Czechoslovakia, Chairman of the Group of Eastern European States.

Mr. KULAWIEC (Czechoslovakia): I am pleased and honoured to speak on the occasion of the already traditional International Day of solidarity with the Palestinian People as Chairman of the Group of Eastern European States for the month of November and on behalf of some members of that Group.

The dramatic and deeply tragic events of the past year have again confirmed that the unfortunate fate of the Palestinian people remains a stigma marking the conscience of all those who are responsible for its new, ever more tragic chapters. This year the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is held in a situation that is even more complex and alarming. The causes of this undesirable development are not new and are well known. The political course and the practical steps of the present United States Administration and of the Government of Israel continue to be the main source of complications in the constantly deteriorating condition in the Middle East and the decisive obstacles in the way of a just settlement of the Palestinian question. On the basis of their strategic alliance those Governments persist in their aggressive imperialist policies. They continue to hold in contempt all the norms of international law and with cynical arrogance to ignore the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and trample upon the basic ideals of this Organization of which they are Members.

The manifestations of racial and cultural superiority manifested by the short-sighted policy of the leading circles of Israel not only bring the problem to a deadlock but are also very dangerous for the people of Israel themselves. The States of the Eastern European Group emphatically reject Israel's so-called final solution of the Palestinian question, which counts among other things a variant of the systematic extermination of the Palestinian people. The international community of the United Nations and all the sound forces of the world must therefore intensify their efforts and compel Israel to respect law and the principles of justice. If the international community as a whole, each individual Government and, last but not least, the United Nations itself wish to stand their ground in the court of history, they must never allow the names of Sabra and Shatila to be forgotten or the acts of injustice committed daily against the Palestinian people to be passed over in silence. Nor can one lose sight of the fact that the unresolved question of Palestine is a primary source of the ever 00 explosive situation in the Middle East which poses a direct threat to world peace and has negative impact on the overall development of international relations. These are the poisoned fruits of the policies of the United States and Israel”

As has been shown by all developments so far, the attempts at a partial and unprincipled solution of the question of Palestine, such as the step-by-step Kissinger policy, of the Camp David agreements or the Reagan plan, play into the hands of the Israeli expansionists, aggravate the situation in the Middle East and leave the Palestinian people in an impasse. Recent events in Lebanon offer additional proof of that. The posture of those who speak of establishing peace in the Middle East while at the same time stubbornly rejecting any consistent and just solution of the question of Palestine is nothing but an endeavour to perpetuate an historical injustice and satisfy their own imperialist interests. The policies of the United States and Israel must be viewed in precisely these terms.

The position of the Eastern European Group of States proceeds from the basic political premises that were unequivocally formulated in the political declaration adopted at the session of the Political Consultative Committee of the Warsaw Treaty last January. These countries are convinced that there is no problem in the world that could not be resolved by peaceful means and in a way that meets the natural and legitimate interests of all parties involved. This of course requires that everybody recognizes and respects the legitimate interests and rights of the others that no Power arrogates to itself the right to declare large regions of the world as a sphere of its "strategic interests" and that it does not seek to impose solutions that suit only its own interests. Precisely such attempts, however, are repeatedly made with regard to the solution of the question of Palestine.

The road to a just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine and the restoration of peace in the Middle East that is inseparably connected with it requires a sincere and collective effort by all interested parties. The fundamental prerequisite of such a settlement is the immediate cessation of all acts of aggression, the unconditional withdrawal of Israeli troops from all occupied Arab territories and the genuine implementation of the inalienable national rights of the Arab Palestinian people, including its right to the establishment of its own independent State, and an indispensable part of any such settlement must be the reaffirmation of the right of all States in the region to a secure existence.

These basic Principles for the settlement of the Palestinian question are today recognized by the overwhelming majority of States, and therefore their Practical implementation appears as a logical necessity. Important proposals in this respect are contained, first of all, in the Arab peace plan adopted at the Twelfth Summit Conference of the Arab countries, held in Fez on 12 September 1982. A similar course was taken also in the Soviet proposal for the settlement of the crisis in the Middle East submitted on 15 September 1982.

Realistic and constructive proposals were also made this year by the International Conference on Palestine in Geneva. The States of the Eastern European Regional Group are of the view that the solution of the question of Palestine and an overall settlement in the Middle East require the earliest possible convening of an authoritative international conference held with the participation of all interested parties, including the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole legitimate representative of the Arab Palestinian people. A useful role may be played by the United Nations.

The States of the Eastern European Regional Group are convinced that the just cause of the Palestinian people will eventually prevail and that the Palestinian people will be able to manage its own affairs in a State of its own.

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): I now call on the representative of Jordan.

Mr. SALAH (Jordan) (interpretation from Arabic): I have the great honour to read out a message from His Majesty the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan addressed to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People on the occasion of the commemoration of the international Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The text of the message is as follows”

“Today most peoples and States of this world join in commemorating the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People in order to reaffirm recognition of their inalienable national and historic rights, stand by the Palestinian people, strengthen their resistance to occupation, remove the injustices against them and enable them to recover their rights, defend their national identity and live on their national soil.

“This solidarity has been expressed by States and peoples throughout the world. It is the happy outcome of the struggle of the Palestinian people and proof that the international community is well aware of the justness of the cause of the Palestinian people. All Israeli attempts to discredit the Palestinian cause have failed. Israel has tried to make the world believe that it desires peace and security and does not seek to extend its territory to the detriment of the Arab nation. But today the international community has realized that the-Israeli expansionist and racist practices and policies are aimed at expanding its authority. There has been a positive change in the position of the international community which is no passing phenomenon. On the contrary, this fact is part of the political negotiations undertaken by the Arab States and the Palestinian people to arrive at a just and comprehensive solution to this problem, which has left open wounds for the Middle East region and the world as a whole.

“Indeed, the Palestinian problem has for a decade been in the forefront of the questions being dealt with by international and regional organizations. The problem facing the Palestinians is a political ones to arrive at a just overall settlement and the recognition of their national rights. After the 1967 Israeli aggression, Israel’s scorn for all international peace plans, the continued Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, the illegal establishment of settlements and the aggression launched against neighbouring Arab States, a turning-point was reached which has led to international support for the rights of the Palestinian people. That support is embodied in the recognition of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the isolation of Israel. Light has been cast on the true face of Israel and its policy, its scorn for Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, the way it turns its back on all roads to peace and to a settlement in the region and, finally, its declared refusal to give up the occupied Arab territories.

"From the outset of the struggle of the Palestinian people, we in Jordan have been at the forefront of support for their cause. We have made it our Arab duty, which imposes on us the obligation to stand by our brothers and support their cause. We have shared the hopes and sorrows of the Palestinian people. We have espoused their struggle to end their tribulations by defending their legitimate rights. Ever since the 1967 aggression we have been aware of the Israeli expansionist tendencies and the danger this represents to the region. That is why we have chosen a political solution to liberate the inhabitants of the territories and assist the Palestinian people to recover their Arab rights and put an end to Israeli occupation. Accordingly, we endorsed Security Council resolution 242 (1967), which declares the inadmissibility of the occupation of the territory of others by force and through war. Similarly, after the 1973 war we opted for a political solution and with the other Arab States concerned, we endorsed Security Council resolution 338 (1973), which includes the terms of resolution 242 (1967).

"Together with all other Arab States, we are, at the present time, struggling to achieve a just overall settlement of this problem, because Israel is taking advantage of the time factor to alter the physical structure of the occupied territories and to strengthen its occupation by imposing a fait accompli Israel's colonial settlements defy all international laws and resolutions and are part of a deliberate policy of uprooting the original inhabitants and altering the demographic structure of the occupied territories. In order to face up to and thwart this danger, we in Jordan have adopted measures likely to strengthen the resistance of the Palestinian people. With this aim in mind, we have undertaken negotiations at every level, both Arab and international. After the Israeli occupation of a wide area of Lebanese territory in 1982, the Arab States and. the PLO succeeded in submitting a comprehensive Arab initiative to ensure an overall and just solution to this problem. That initiative was supported by the Arab leaders, including the PID, at the Fez Conference. It consists of an Arab peace plant, incorporating principles from United Nations resolutions calling for Israel's withdrawal from all Arab territories occupied in 1967 and, first and foremost, from the Arab city of Jerusalem. It is a demonstration of good faith by the Arabs and their desire to provide all guarantees of justice for the Palestinian people, which have suffered every kind of tribulations, including terrorism and dispersion. We are helping them strive for peace and security throughout the regions, thus enabling States to achieve peace and prosperity.

"Israel continues to ignore all peace initiatives and implements its expansionist plans to the detriment of the Palestinian people and the Arab nation. Israel seeks to overpower the Arab population. Nevertheless, the legitimate Palestinian leaders have through international actions affirmed that they are ready to play an active part in the peace process guaranteeing them an end to occupations, a return to their national identity and a free -Life in dignity.

"Jordan hereby reaffirms its devotion to these principles and reaffirms that, like other Arab States, we shall provide aid and encouragement to the Palestinian people so that they may recover their legitimate rights and thwart the hegemonistic attempts designed to undermine their autonomy and political will. We believe that any attempt to uphold the political will of the Palestinian people runs counter to Israeli plans. We call on everyone to open their eyes to Israel's true face, its real ambition and greed. We appeal to the world to show solidarity with the Palestinian people so that they may join the community of nations and enjoy their rights. In conclusion, we wish to convey to you, Sir, as Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and as representative of Senegal, our heartfelt gratitude and congratulations on your sustained efforts to enable the Palestinian people to recover their legitimate rights over the soil of their ancestors. Your devotion, sincerity and lofty views have brought to the Committee the support of the entire international community. I also wish to thank all the other members and the Chairman of the Working Group, Mr. Gauci of Malta. The Secretary-General of the Conference on Palestine, Mrs. Mair has made great efforts which deserve our praise. She is responsible for the success of the Conference held in Geneva, and we hope that she will continue to be active in this role, so that the Palestinian people may enjoy peace and security on Palestinian soil.

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): The next speaker is the representative of Iraq, on whom I now call.

Mr. AL-HADDANI (Iraq) (interpretation from Arabic): I have the great honour to read out a message from the President of the Republic of Iraq His Excellency Mr. Saddam Hussein to the Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, on the occasion of the commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

“It is a pleasure for me on the occasion of the commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, to express once again on behalf of Iraq and its people, as well as on my own personal behalf, our gratitude to the Committee for the sincere and sustained efforts it has made for the Palestinian cause. We are certain you will agree with us when we say that in these difficult times for the Arab nation our main concern in the crisis within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) , the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, being experienced by its leaders as a result of the cynical, scarcely disguised attempts to divide the leadership of that Organization and to disrupt its unity in order physically and politically to annihilate it and deprive it of all its legitimacy.

"Indeed, overt attempts have been made by Libya and Syria to divide the ranks of the PLO. These attempts are in contradiction of the Rabat Summit Meeting manifesto of Arab unity. In this regard there can be no doubt that these attempts fall within the context of Zionist machinations which sadly, are tacitly supported by certain international circles involving themselves In this game for the purpose of consolidating Israeli occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories and the evacuation of the original inhabitants from Palestinian soil. These attempts to violate its national identity and territorial integrity are carried out at the expense and in violation of the territorial integrity and national integrity of other neighbouring Arab peoples.

"Such attempts and such tragic occurrences as the Sabra and Shatila massacres, the occupation of a large part of Lebanese territory, the actions against the Palestinian people themselves showing Israel's desire, to remain On Palestinian territory, Its settlements on such territory, its occupation of the West Bank and the escalation of its terror activities against the Palestinians – all this is working towards the gratification of the Israeli desire for territory according to the Zionist plan.

“However, we are certain that the Palestinian people will emerge triumphant and stronger from these trials, because that people has unshakeable faith in the justice of its cause. It is ready to Continue its ardent struggle and ensure the triumph of its cause, aware of the need for solidarity and for a united front against the aggressor and its allies, It knows, too that it can count on the support of the Arab States and all other Stated cherish peace and justice.

"Iraq has always supported the PLO and its legitimate leaders and taken vigorous stand against attempts to weaken or dismantle that organization or deprive it of its political will. The Palestinian cause will always remain the forefront of our concerns, for we are convinced that this question is at the very heart of the conflict in the Middle East and the problems this region knows we are also aware that, unless and until there is a just and honourable solution to this problem restoring the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, this region will know no peace, security or prosperity, and peace and security in the world will thus remain gravely threatened.

“Among the factors jeopardizing international peace is the continued Iranian aggression against our country, begun some three years ago. The regime of Iran is continuing its aggressive acts against Iraq despite international efforts to put an end to the hostilities and despite Iraq's support for those efforts. Fresh proof of the reprehensible expansionist aims of that regimes' the large-scale military attack against Panjwin, in the north of Iraq. This attack followed upon Security Council resolution 540 (1983) and constitutes open defiance of the will of the Security Council and of the international community. Iraq has expressed its position with regard to that resolution, indeed, we supported it, but the Iranian regime, on the other hand, merely intensified its aggression, thus making very clear that regime's inherently belligerent nature and its defiance of the resolutions of the Security Council and international unanimity on the need to put an end to those military operations and to settle such disputes by peaceful means. For its part Iraq is resolved to thwart the Iranian aggression and to defend its peace and dignity. The continuation of Iranian aggression is further proof that Iran has acted in close co-operation with the Zionist entity and that there is military collusion between the two – a fact which is no mystery to anyone.

“On this occasion we wish to offer our praise for the International conference on the Question of Palestine, hold recently in Geneva, which Yielded very positive results, including the Declaration and the Programme of Action. One of the hopeful elements in that Conference, in view of the crisis in the PLO, was the participation of that organization in the work of the Conference on a basis of equality with other States.

"In Conclusion, it is a pleasure for me to reaffirm our great confidence in your Committee. We express the wish that it will continue its very Praiseworthy efforts for- the Palestinian cause as seriously and effectively as it has customarily done in the past.”

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): The next speaker is His Excellency, W. Maksoud of the League of Arab States.

Mr. MAKSCUD (League of Arab States):  The International Day of Solidarity"  with the Palestinian People coincides with a very important watershed with regard to the Palestinian question. On this Day we are witnessing simultaneously the growth of international solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people and the commitment of the international community to the unity of that people within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) not only as the in, a representative of the Palestinian people but also of Palestinian nationhood.

Furthermore, the legitimate institutions of the PLO are now being challenged), they are also being enhanced because international solidarity with the Palestinian people and its legitimate rights to self-determination – whatever their decision constitutes a landmark victory of the historic and heroic struggle of that people and this is the situation in the international community as embodied in the United Nations. However, at, this very time of solidarity, we are witnessing in Washington" the emergence of strategic co-ordination between the United States and Israel in order to prevent the Palestinian people from exercising their right to self-determination.

That is why it is fitting for the international community at this moment to demonstrate that its solidarity takes the form not only of support for the struggle, of the Palestinian people but also of a growing awareness of the dangers inherent in the threat the strategic equation between Israel and the United States poses to that solidarity and to its meaning and its ultimate fruition.

That is why the league of Arab States expresses not merely concern but the deepest anxiety over the dangers inherent in allowing Israel to forgo repayment of, military aid loans, thus enabling it once again to possess cluster bombs which have played havoc with the lives of civilians in Palestinian refugee camps and in the capital of Lebanon, Beirut.

That is why this Day of Solidarity expresses our consciousness of the dangers of those elements that seek to dissipate the impact of this solidarity, empty it all meaning and render it peripheral to the crucial issues facing the international community in translating that solidarity into concrete measures enabling the Palestinian people to realize their legitimate and internationally recognized objectives.

We mention this because our expressions of solidarity are very meaningful to the Millions of Palestinians lingering under occupation and whose rights and homes have been usurped systematically and who in their various refugee camps have suffered all manner of disenfranchisement. The strategic equation developing between the United States and Israel must not lead to absolving Israel from most of the violations it has visited upon the Palestinian people, namely, the continued establishment of settlements and their proliferation in the West Bank and Gaza, the continued harassment of Palestinian students in their various schools and universities, the demolition of homes and houses, the denial of the right of return the Palestinians to their original homes and the attempt to create, through the strategic relationship now being negotiated in Washington, a development that would constitute a most serious threat not only to the Palestinian people but also to the sovereignty of independent Arab States and to peace-in the region and perhaps throughout the world.

At this particular moment in our history, the International Day of Solidarity must evolve into a thing much more concrete. In as much as the Israeli-American strategic relationship is aimed at preventing the Palestinian people from achieving their legitimate rights, the international community must, on this International day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, reaffirm that it is capable of translating its moral, political, diplomatic and intellectual commitment to the Palestinian people into concrete measures to deter Israel from further annexations, further expansion and the creation of new faits accomplis aimed at denying and nullifying Palestinian rights. Hence, I should like to reiterate the appeal by the Secretary-General of the ague of Arab States, Mr. Chedli Klibi, issued in Tunis today

"On this day we call upon the international community to reaffirm its solidarity and reinforce it with actions that seek credibly to deter Israeli aggression. It is now beyond any doubt that Israel is the entity that rejects all peace plans from any source and continues in its own aggression, Completely contemptuous of international law and United Nations resolutions.

"The reality which can no longer be ignored or glossed over in that Israel rejects; peace which is based on international law because such peace would restrict its expansionist appetite. When Israel mentions peace, it is only referring to a peace that spreads its hegemony over the entire region. Israel does not want a peace that is not a consequence of a surrender by the Arab States. This law of the jungle cannot be acceptable to the international conscience and community. The nations that have formulated their laws on freedom and dignity cannot deny similar rights to other peoples and other nations. We call upon the international community to shoulder its historical responsibility towards one of the worst injustices of this century. The international community must enforce respect for the United Nations resolutions that are based on international law and that aim at safeguarding peace and security in the region and throughout the world." I should like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the league of Arab States, to express to you, Sirs, and through you to the other members of the Committee on the exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and to the Secretary-General of the International Conference on Palestine, the deep appreciation of the Arab people and the Arab league. On this Day of Solidarity, may your recommendations and your solidarity constitute a further step in the achievement of a comprehensive and just peace and of the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination in their homeland.

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): We have heard the last speaker this morning. Before I call on the representative of Iran, who has asked to be allowed to speak in exercise of the right of reply, I should like to remind participants that this is a Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Therefore, in so far as possible statements should be limited strictly to matters pertaining to the rights of that people and, preferably, not raise controversial issues that may give rise to disputes and thus disturb the serenity befitting the commemoration of this Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. However, since the representative of Iran insists on speaking, I shall call on him.

I call first on the representative of Iraq on a point of order.

Mr. AL-HADDAWI (Iraq): If the intention of the Iranian delegation is to Make a reply, as a matter of procedure he is not entitled to reply to a message addressed to this Committee by a Head of State. Had I made the statement on my own, he would have been entitled to do so.

Since time is running short, I would seek your co-operation, Mr. Chairman think you could consult the Legal Counsel and find out whether the Iranian representative is entitled, in the circumstances, to exercise the right of reply. I would then abide by that ruling.

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): I call on the representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization on a point of order.

Mr. TERZI (Palestine Liberation Organization): Through you, Mr. Chairman, may I appeal to all participants, out of respect for the precious blood of our children, not to convert this Day of Solidarity into an occasion for statements and counter-statements. They have the General Assembly for making replies. On this Day of Solidarity the blood of our children is worthy of some respect.

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): I, too, should like to appeal to the representative of Iran – without thereby denying him the right to speak – to bear in mind the solemnity of this occasion and not insist on exercising a right of reply that might lead to further rights of reply and so mar the solidarity we are expressing with the Palestinian people.

I call on the representative of Iran.

Mr. HOSSEINY (Islamic Republic of Iran): I think it would have been better to give those notes to the representative of Iraq before I asked to be allowed to exercise the right of reply. However, I must say what I have in mind in regard to the representative of Iraq, who conveyed the message from the President of Iraq.

I believe It is doubtful that the representative of Iraq and the President of Iraq

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): I apologize to the representative of Iran, but the representative of Iraq has asked to speak on a Point of order.

Mr. AL-HADDAWI (Iraq) It is clear that the statement was not my own, I only conveyed the message. According to the rules of procedure, no representative can exercise the right of reply to a statement made by the President of any country. Should there be any doubt about what I am saying, have also requested that the United Nations Legal Counsel be consulted for a ruling.

The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from French): It is really getting late and at this rate we shall never finish. I therefore request the representative of Iran to postpone his statement until this afternoon, because he can exercise the right of reply at the end of the meeting this evening. It is now late and we shall have to return at 3 o'clock sharp, since there is a long list of speakers for this afternoon's meeting as well.

I call on the representative of Iran.

Mr. HOSSEINY (Islamic Republic of Iran):  I shall postpone the exercise of my right of reply until this afternoon.  In the meantime, I should like to bring to your attention, Mr. Chairman, that the rule of procedure to which the representative of Iraq has referred is confined to the General Assembly and only to a Head of State who is physically present there delivering a statement.  As I said, I shall postpone the exercise of my right of reply to this afternoon which will be more appropriate to expose the brutal regime of Iraq, which again misunderstand the issue and is disseminating misinformation here in the Trusteeship council Chamber.

The meeting rose at 1.20 p.m.