Mideast situation/Palestine question – NAM meeting of Foreign Ministers/Heads of Delegation in New York – Declaration/Non-UN document

Meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation of the Non-Aligned Movement at the 55^th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, the Millennium Assembly, Chaired by Her Excellency, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma

14 September 2000

 Declaration of Foreign Ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)

1. We, the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation of the Non-Aligned Movement attending the General Debate of the Millennium Assembly of the United Nations, met in New York on 14 September 2000, to exchange views on the items of the Agenda of the Millennium Assembly that are of significant importance to the Movement, and to discuss the role of and collective challenges before the Non-Aligned Movement in the 21st Century. We view the Millennium Summit outcome as an important contribution towards renewing and strengthening the mandate of the United Nations to meet the challenges of the new Century. We welcome the renewed commitment of the Heads of State or Government, at the Millennium Summit, to peace, stability and disarmament, and the eradication of poverty, including achieving sustainable development for all our peoples.

2. We reiterate our commitment to the principles and decisions of the Movement, as reaffirmed at the XIII NAM Ministerial Conference in Cartagena, which would guide the Movement's participation during this session. We reiterate further the need to continue to strengthen the coordination, unity and solidarity of the Movement, in order to promote and defend, on the basis of common positions agreed to by the Members, the interests of developing countries in global affairs. We thank the Government and People of Colombia for hosting the XIII NAM Ministerial Conference of in Cartagena from 7-9 April 2000, and for their role in contributing to the successful outcome of the Meeting.

3. We welcome the decisions and outcomes of the G-77 South Summit, and note the importance of the Summit Declaration and the Summit Programme of Action which prioritise the development agenda of developing countries. We stress the need to continue to enhance cooperation and coordination between the NAM and the G-77 through the Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) in New York. We thank the Government and People of Cuba for hosting the historic inaugural Summit of the South in Havana, from 10-14 April 2000, and for their contribution to its successful outcome.

4. We reaffirm our determination to actively strive towards the achievement of a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) and the principle of land for peace. In this context, we stress the need for the Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan to the line of 4 June, 1967 and demand the immediate demarcation of this line. We reaffirm the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital. Furthermore, we reaffirm that a just and comprehensive peace can only be achieved by upholding international legitimacy and relevant United Nations resolutions. In this regard, we consider the attempts by the Israeli government to undermine the terms of reference of the Middle East peace process which started in Madrid as a serious obstacle to the realization of peace. We welcome the liberation of the Lebanese territories from the Israeli occupation and call for an end to Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity.

5. We reaffirm our support to the Korean people to reunify their homeland in accordance with the three principles set forth in the North-South Joint Statement on 4 July, 1972 and through dialogue and negotiations on the basis of the Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-aggression, and Co-operation and Exchange between the North and South concluded in February 1992. We welcome the North-South talks held at the highest level in Pyongyang on June 2000, and express the hope that the fulfillment of the North-South Joint Declaration would contribute towards promoting peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and surrounding area and achieve the reunification of Korea.

6. Recognising the importance of North-South partnership and dialogue, we welcome the recent series of dialogues culminating in the meeting of Foreign Ministers at Miyazaki, Japan. We welcome further the meeting of the Chairs of NAM, G-77, OAU and the Heads of State or Government of the Group of Eight (G8) held prior to the G8 Summit in Okinawa, Japan. We appreciate the growing formalization of the process of consultation between the developing and developed world at the levels of Heads of State or Government, Ministers, and senior officials, and emphasise that this partnership and dialogue should strengthen intergovernmental cooperation between North and South.