International Day of Solidarity (1981) – Special bulletin


 

 SPECIAL BULLETIN ON THE COMMEMORATION

OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY

WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

1981

  

 

 


CONTENTS

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

II. Texts of statements made and messages received on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

A.  Opening statements

COUNTRY/ORGANIZATION – NAME AND TITLE


Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People

H.E. Mr. Massamba Sarré

Chairman

United Nations General Assembly

Thirty-sixth session

H.E. Mr. Ismat Kittani

President

United Nations

Mr. Kurt Waldeim

Secretary-General

Security Council

H.E. Mr. Taieb Slim, President

Palestine Liberation Organization

Mr. Yasser Arafat
Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Commander-in-Chief of the Palestinian Revolutionary Forces

B.  Messages of Heads of State

AFGHANISTAN

H.E. Mr. Babrak Karmal

General Secretary of the Central Committee of the People's Democratic Party, President of the Revolutionary Council and Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan

ALGERIA

H.E. Mr. Chadli Bendjedid, President of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria; Secretary-General of the National Liberation Front Party

BAHRAIN

His Highness Sheikh Isan bin Sulman Al Khalifa

Emir of Bahrain

BANGLADESH

H.E. Mr. Jusitce Abdus Sattar

President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh

CUBA

H.E. Mr. Fidel Castro Ruz

President of Cuba; Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement

DEMOCRATIC YEMEN

H.E. Mr. Ali Nasser Mohammad

Secretary-General of the Central Committee of the Yemenite Socialist Party; Chairman of the People's Supreme Council of the Yemenite Revolution

EGYPT

H.E. Mr. Mohammed Hosni Mubarak

President of the Arab Republic of Egypt

GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

H.E. Mr. Erich Honecker

General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Socialist Party of Germany and Chairman of the Council of State

GUINEA

H.E. Mr. Ahmed Sekou Touré

President of the People's Revolutionary Republic of Guinea

HUNGARY

H.E. Mr. Pál Losonczi, President of the Presidential Council of the Hungarian People's Republic

IRAQ

H.E. Mr. Saddam Hussein

President of the Republic of Iraq

KENYA

H.E. Mr. Daniel T. Arap Moi

President of the Republic of Kenya

DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA

H.E. Mr. Kim Il Sung

President of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

KUWAIT

His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah

Prince of Kuwait

LEBANON

H.E. Mr. Elias Sarkis

President of Lebanon

MALDIVES

H.E. Mr. Naumoon Abdul Gayoom

President of the Republic of Maldives

MAURITANIA

H.E. Mr. Mohamed Ould Haidalla

President of the Military Committee and Head of State

MONGOLIA

H.E. Mr. Yu. Tsedenbal

Chairman of the Great People's Khural of the Mongolian People's Republic

OMAN

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said

Emir of Oman

PAKISTAN

H.E. General Mohammed Zia-ul-Haq

President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

POLAND

H.E. Mr. Henryk Jablonski

President of Poland

QATAR

His Majesty Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al-Thani

Emir of Qatar

ROMANIA

H.E. Mr. Nicolae Ceausescu

General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party; President of the Socialist Republic of Romania

SENEGAL

H.E. Mr. Abdou Diouf

President of the Republic of Senegal

SOMALIA

H.E. Mr. Mohamed Siad Barre

President of the Somali Democratic Republic

SRI LANKA

H.E. Mr. J. R. Jayewardene

President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

SYRIA

H.R. Mr. Hafez Al-Assad

President of the Syrian Arab Republic

TOGO

H.E. Mr. Gnassingdé Eyadema

President of the Republic of Togo

TUNISIA

H.E. Mr. H. Bourguiba

President of Tunisia

UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS

H.E. Mr. Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev

General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and President of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

H.E. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan

President of the Republic of the United Arab Emirates

VIET NAM

H.E. Mr. Pham Van Dong

President of the Council of Ministers of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam

YEMEN

H.E. Mr. Ali Abdulla Saleh

President of the Yemen Arab Republic and Chief Commander of the Armed Forces

YUGOSLAVIA

H.E. Mr. Sergej Kraigher

President of the Presidency of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

C.  Messages from Heads of Government and a Deputy Prime Minister

CHINA

H.E. Mr. Zhao Ziyang

Vice-Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Prime Minister of the State Council of the People's Republic of China

INDIA

H.E. Mrs. Indira Gandhi

Prime Minister of India

MALTA

H.E. Mr. Dom Mintoff

Prime Minister of Malta

SAUDI ARABIA

H.R.H. Prince Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz

Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Deputy Prime Minister

D.  Messages from Ministers and Ministries for Foreign Affairs

BARBADOS

H.E. Mr. Louis R. Tull

Minister for Foreign Affairs

GREECE

H.E. Mr. Yannis Haralambopoulos

Minister of Foreign Affairs

INDONESIA

H.E. Mr. Mochtar Kusumaatmadja

Minister for Foreign Affairs

JAPAN

H.E. Mr. Yoshio Sakarauchi

Minister for Foreign Affairs

JORDAN

H.E. Mr. Marwan Kasim

Minister for Foreign Affairs

REPUBLIC OF KOREA

H.E. Mr. Shinyong Lho

Minister for Foreign Affairs

LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA

H.E. Mr. Abdulati Al-Obeidi
Secretary of the People's Committee of the People's Bureau for Foreign Liaison

MALAYSIA

H.E. Mr. Tan Sri Ghazali Shafie

Minister for Foreign Affairs

MOROCCO

H.E. Mr. M'hamed Boucetta

Minister for Foreign Affairs

SUDAN

TURKEY

H.F. Mr. Ilter Türkmen
Minister of Foreign Affairs

E. Messages from Governments

ARGENTINA

H.E. Mr. Juan Carlos Beltramino

Permanent Representative to the United Nations

BYELORUSSIAN SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLIC

GRENADA

NICARAGUA

H.E. Mr. Alejandro Bandaña Rodriguez

Alternate Permanent Representative

F.  Statements by Regional Groups of States at the United Nations

GROUPS OF AFRICAN

Mr. M. Saturin K. Soglo
First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Benin

GROUP OF ARAB STATES

H.E. Mr. Hasim Yousif

Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations

GROUP OF ASIAN STATES

H.E. Mr. Niaz A. Naik
Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations

GROUP OF EASTERN EUROPEAN STATES

H.E. Mr. Eugeniusz Wyzner

Permanent Representative of Poland to the United Nations

GROUP OF LATIN AMERICAN STATES

H.E. Mr. Porfirio Muñoz Ledo

Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations

G. Messages by Intergovernmental and Other Organizations with Observer Status at the United Nations

LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES

H.E. Mr. Clovis Maksoud

Permanent Observer to the United Nations

ORGANIZATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE

H.E. Mr. Habib Chatty

Secretary-General

PALESTINE LIBERATION ORGANIZATION

Mr. F. Kaddoumi

Head of the Political Department

SOUTH WEST AFRICA PEOPLE'S ORGANIZATION

H.E. Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab

Permanent Observer to the United Nations

H.  Statements by National Liberation Movements

PAN AFRICANIST CONGRESS OF AZANIA

H.E. Mr. Henry E. Isaacs

Permanent Observer Representative to the United Nations and Director of Foreign Affairs

I.  Statements by United Nations Organs

SPECIAL COMMITTEE AGAINST APARTHEID

H.E. Mr. Maitama-Sule

UNITED NATIONS COUNCIL FOR NAMIBIA

Mr. Lusaka

President

J.  Statements by Invited Speakers

GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE

Mr. Seibt

President

INTERNATIONAL PROGRESS ORGANIZATION

Mr. Robert W. Thabit

 


I. COMMEMORATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

In accordance with operative paragraph 1(c) of General Assembly resolution 32/40 B, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People was observed in New York and Geneva as well as in several capitals. Since 29 November occurred on a Sunday, the commemoration was held on Monday, 30 November 1981.

 

The main events in the programme of the observance of the Day in New York were two special meetings of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People held in the Trusteeship Council Chamber on Monday 30 November 1981. The Chairman of the Committee, the President or the General Assembly, the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council were among those who addressed the meeting. The texts of statements delivered on the occasion and of messages received from Heads of State or Government, Foreign Ministers, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and others are reproduced below.

 

The programme of observance of the Day included an exhibit entitled: Disabled Persons and Prisoners of War. This exhibit was opened by the Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People on Monday, 30 November 1981 and was on display until Sunday, 5 December 1981.

 

Throughout the week, the films "Palestinians Do Have Rights", "Betrayal of Trust", and "Jerusalem: Prophets and Paratroopers" were screened at the Dag Hammarskjöld Auditorium.

 

Press releases, radio and visual coverage was given to these events by the Department of Public Information. United Nations Information Centres played a major role in drawing widespread attention to the observance of the Day, in the areas for which they are responsible.

 


 

 

II. TEXTS OF STATEMENTS MADE AND MESSAGES RECEIVED ON THE

OCCASION OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

 

A.  Opening statements

 

Statement by the Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the

Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, H.E. Mr. Massamba Sarré 

 

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 to all who are here our appreciation for being so kind as to attend once again the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, a day we commemorate in consonance with General Assembly resolution 32/40 B. Their presence here reflects – if this were indeed still necessary – the importance with which the international community views this solemn event held in the interests of the just cause of the Palestinian people.

 

Today's commemoration is but one more effort among others in the campaign we are waging to put an end to the injustice foisted upon the Palestinian people. It is also one way to draw the attention of the world to the need to find a just and equitable way out of a situation threatening international peace and security. The backing and understanding accorded the Palestinian cause on the occasion of gatherings such as ours today, and similar commemorations throughout the world, bear eloquent witness to the active commitment of the public, the world over, as it stands side by side with the Palestinian people in the international community's quest for a solution to this tragic problem.

To be sure, the United Nations has been devoting itself to this problem for 34 years, years during which some 300 resolutions on the situation in the Middle East have been adopted. As we know, the question of Palestine is at the heart of this situation. Certain resolutions bear on specific situations, but most of them aim at finding a just solution to an over-all problem. This, need one recall, was true of Security Council resolutions 181 (II) and 194 (III), adopted when the question of Palestine was initially submitted to our Organization. Then, throughout some 27 years, the issue was relegated to the back-ground. No interest was shown any longer in the national rights of the Palestinian people, or it was viewed from a purely humanitarian perspective. In the course of these 27 years, the lot of the Palestinian people grew worse. Conditions not initially propitious to the exercise of Palestinian rights, worsened even further when in 1967 Israel occupied all of that part of Palestine to which, under Security Council resolution 181 (II), the Palestinians were rightfully entitled and which it continues illegally to occupy in contempt of the unanimous thinking of the international community, and in violation of international law and United Nations resolutions.

 

Not until 1974 was there a reawakening, a rekindling of interest in the political dimensions of the question of Palestine. It will be recalled that that year Chairman Yasser Arafat delivered a speech before the General Assembly and the United Nations thereafter adopted epoch-making resolutions. The terms of General Assembly resolution 3236 (XXIX), which reaffirmed the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, and subsequent resolutions, are well known. Our Committee, established in 1975 with the explicit mandate of devising a programme to bring about the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, submitted specific recommendations which the General Assembly has more than once endorsed. These recommendations gave rise to great hope, to the extent that they sketched put a framework which, had it been abided by, would have led to an honourable settlement. Unfortunately, the Security Council, because of a blocking manoeuvre, was unable to speak out on these recommendations and the efforts of the international community, by the same token, were thwarted. The special emergency session convened last year, specifically in July 1980, to deal with this issue was unable to bear fruit. Though the General Assembly reaffirmed the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to an independent State, the steps necessary to give this decision tangible shape are still encountering obstacles. Yet, neither slowing down nor speeding up its approach, and without being discouraged, at its thirty-fifth session the General Assembly recommended practical steps to bring about a settlement of the question of Palestine; but these also have been thwarted.

 

Within the Security Council, the situation has remained stagnant and this is also due principally to the refusal of Israel to abide by United Nations resolutions. While declarations of intent made by Israel at the time when it sought to become a Member of the United Nations had given rise to great hope, that country has reneged on the commitments it assumed at that time to gain the recognition of the international community. The situation has grown worse with Israel's implementation of plans of annexation and settlement.

 

To gain an idea of this deterioration, one has but to consider the main outlines of the policy which that country submitted to the Knesset on 5 August this year. Among the provisions appearing in the programme published by the Israeli press  and I have in mind the 6 August 1981 issue of Haaretz  the following may be noted.

 

First, the autonomy which was agreed to is not to be confused with sovereignty or self-determination. Autonomy constitutes a guarantee against the establishment of a Palestinian State on the territory of Eretz Israel.
 
Secondly, under the terms of the prescribed transition period, Israel will proclaim its sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, which should be taken to mean the West Bank and to the Gaza Strip in other words, Palestinian territory occupied since 1967.

Thirdly, the establishment of settlements is a right and forms part and parcel of the security of the nation. The Government will strive to reinforce, to broaden and further to develop this process.
 
Fourthly, Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel. It is an indivisible, city which is entirely under Israel's sovereignty
 

All this, as the programme points out, is based on the hypothesis that the Jewish people has a permanent title to Eretz Israel, an eternal title which no one could call into question and which is linked to its right to peace and security. It is all too evident that while Israel vividly remembers a distant past, the conditions attached by the United Nations to the still recent establishment of the State of Israel, and the rights of the indigenous population, have been forgotten with the greatest of ease.

 

This selective way of construing history explains not only Israel's defiance but also its policy, one which serves as an instrument, with all the risks that that entails for the whole international community. The efforts Israel has made to maintain such a position cannot but lead to new confrontations. Proof thereof is the fact that as early as last June Israel bombed a nuclear reactor in Iraq; then in July the air and sea attack on Beirut and other points on Lebanese territory occurred, taking a toll of many lives among the civilian population; and there was the declaration making Jerusalem Israel's capital, along with the establishment of settlements in the illegally-occupied territories, the expulsion of the mayors of Hebron and Halhoul, and other violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Fortunately, these acts were unanimously condemned by the international community.

 

Assuredly, it is time for the United Nations urgently to take steps to pick up the gauntlet Israel has flung at the international community. As I have said, the United Nations has over the years adopted many resolutions aimed at finding a just and lasting way out of the question of Palestine. These resolutions remain to be implemented. As Mr. Ismat Kittani, President of the thirty-sixth session of the General Assembly, put it at the opening meeting:

 

The General Assembly is not in need of new resolutions but rather a commitment to the resolutions it has already adopted and to the implementation of those resolutions by translating them into concrete actuality, thereby contributing to the principles and purposes of the United Nations.

 

For example, do we need new resolutions concerning the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including its right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent State under the leadership of its sole legitimate representative, the Palestine Liberation Organization? ( A/36/PV.1, p. 27-30).

 

It seems to me that we would do well to bear in mind this suggestion when we begin to examine the question of Palestine in the plenary Assembly. We should focus our attention on the ways of attaining these objectives on the basis of resolutions already adopted. This what we must give thought to when the time comes for us to adopt resolutions, which will have to be action-oriented. Were we not to act in this way, we would run the risk of continuing to adopt resolutions year after year without coming closer to a solution for all that.

 

The Committee, for its part, will go on dedicating itself to the task of promoting the implementation of these resolutions and furthering the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. During the past year the Committee has been represented at several conferences and has participated in seminars on the question of Palestine, meetings which were aimed at achieving better understanding of and familiarity with the facts. I am firmly convinced that if there were a better understanding of the question of Palestine, stripped of any spirit of confrontation, opposition to the just cause of the Palestinian people would be much less intense. The Committee hopes to be able to go on working in its quest of a solution.

 

Beyond the framework of the United Nations, initiatives, new approaches and appeals have been launched and set in train, all this as part of the determination to find a just and comprehensive settlement of the question of Palestine.

 

In the opinion of the Committee, guided essentially by the keen desire to restore peace to that part of the world which is of such great importance to mankind as the cradle of the revealed religions, the international community has the duty and the responsibility to take a fresh look at all these data and to analyze them objectively, drawing the inescapable conclusions. To do so, the parties concerned must bridle their passions, emotions and ambitions and commit themselves resolutely to the quest for justice and peace, both now lost. The world must help them in this endeavour.

 

Earlier, I cited the remarks of an Arab statesman. Allow me now to quote those of an Israeli statesman. In an interview granted to

Mr. Luc Rosenzberg and published by Le Monde in the issue of 5 July 1981, Mr. Nahum Goldmann said:

 

"It is not good for a politician never to change his mind. But there is a position by which I have always abided, ever since I was IT: that is, that without agreement with the Arabs there is no future for the Jewish State. It is my great hope that the Jewish people one and all, and above all Israel, will soon show the wisdom and courage to change course".

 

I shall conclude by telling you, Mr. Secretary-General, on behalf of the Committee and on my own behalf, how much we appreciate your forthcoming attitude and the assistance you personally and your associates have extended to us over the course of the year now drawing to a close. The Special Unit on Palestinian Rights, headed so competently by Mr. Yogasundram, supported so efficiently by dedicated associates and the entire Unit and directed so ably, discreetly and effectively by Mr. William Buffum, the Under-Secretary-General, has succeeded in discharging fully and to our greatest satisfaction all the tasks entrusted to it by the Committee.

 

We express our gratitude to the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Ismat Kittani, to the President of the Security Council, Mr. Taieb Slim, to the Chairman of the Special and Non-Governmental Regional Groups of the United Nations and to the Committee's Observers, to the Permanent Representatives, to the liberation movements and to Mr. Farouk Kaddoumi, who has been so kind as to assist us in our work.

 

We thank all of them for their presence in our midst and for the favourable ties of co-operation which they have maintained with our Committee in the exercise of the mandate with which the United Nations has entrusted us. All this encourages us to go on striving along the path sketched out for us by the United Nations for the triumph of the just cause of the Palestinian people.

 

Statement by the President of the thirty-sixth session of the General Assembly,

H.E. Mr. Ismat Kittani

I am honoured to participate in this special meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. This meeting serves to reaffirm the commitment of the international community to the just cause of the Palestinian people and to the attainment of its inalienable rights.

 

The question of Palestine has been before our Organization for over 30 years and no solution to it seems to be in sight. In spite of the numerous resolutions that have been adopted since the question was first put before the General Assembly and in spite of the many resolutions adopted by the Security Council, no viable answer has been found to this acute problem  and the fault is not with our Organization, but with those Member States that choose either to flout those resolutions and decisions or to work outside the United Nations system.

 

No one can deny that the question of Palestine is the heart and the crux o f the problem of the Middle East, and our persistent attempts to find a just and durable solution to this problem are but a measure of the importance which the international community attaches to it.

 

A perusal of the numerous resolutions adopted by this Organization testifies clearly to the commitment of the international community to strive indefatigably for the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. The General Assembly has repeatedly called for the full and speedy exercise by the Palestinian people of their right to self-determination without external interference and to national independence and sovereignty, as well as their right to return to their homes and property from which they have been displaced and uprooted.

It is with a great sense of disappointment that we note that in spite of the fact that those resolutions have been adopted with the support of the vast majority of the international community, their implementation has not followed and the world finds itself in an impasse on this vital question. What is clearly required is a firm commitment to the implementation of those resolutions  not, as I have had occasion to state before, a mere repetition of them.

 

As an important element in the search for a just solution of the problem, the United Nations has a solemn duty to enlighten and mobilize public opinion. Occasions such as today's special meetings do serve this purpose by focusing attention on the injustice that has been done to the Palestinians as individuals and as a people. This is of particular importance because a proper understanding of the facts which surround this question can leave one in no doubt that justice must be done. For far too long the facts have been kept from the international public or been subjected to distortions which have created prejudices adverse to the Palestinian people. It is not too late to rectify this gross injustice.

 

Ultimately, justice can be served only if the Palestinian people are permitted to exercise their inalienable rights. Those rights have been repeatedly reaffirmed by the General Assembly, and they include the right of the Palestinian people to return to their homes, to self-determination and to establish an independent State. Obviously, this cannot come to pass until another sacred principle is observed, that of the non-acquisition of territory by force. As long as Palestinian territory continues to be illegally occupied, the Palestinian people will continue to be deprived of the ability to exercise its inalienable rights. Furthermore, it has become increasingly clear that there cannot be a just and lasting peace in the Middle East without the effective involvement and participation of the Palestinian people and its representative, the Palestine Liberation Organization.

 

The international community has almost unanimously expressed its views on this problem. The General Assembly has repeatedly called for the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from the illegally occupied Arab territories. Unfortunately this call has been met with defiant refusal. Not only are the occupation forces still in place, but every imaginable step is being taken by Israel to consolidate its annexation of those territories. This defiance of international public opinion is one of the major causes of the tension that prevails in international relations. More than once it has been the cause of serious conflict, endangering international peace and security. It would not be too pessimistic to predict that, if left unsolved, this problem could plunge us into a major catastrophe.

 

Today's meeting highlights the urgency of finding a just solution for the question of Palestine. To allow a situation to remain critical to the point of endangering international peace and security can have adverse effects not merely on t he people and States of the region but also on the entire international community. Justice must be done  and a commitment to justice can only be a commitment to the cause of the Palestinian people. Let us today rededicate ourselves to that cause.

 

In conclusion, I wish to thank this Committee for inviting me to participate in this important and solemn meeting and to congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, and the other members of the Committee for the efforts that you are making to restore to the Palestinian people its inalienable rights.

 

 

 

Statement by the Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. Kurt Waldheim

 

The annual observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is not only a reflection of our deep concern for the Palestinian people but also a striking reminder that the question of their legitimate rights lies at the core of the complex situation in the Middle East.

 

In spite of the efforts made by this Organization for the past 33 years, little progress has been made towards the comprehensive settlement that alone can ultimately ensure a peaceful and just future for all the nations and peoples of that region. Such a settlement would defuse once and for all a crisis which bears the explosive potential of a conflict that would seriously endanger international peace and security.

 

The fundamental issues are well known. They have been spelled out in resolutions adopted both by the General Assembly and by the Security Council. They include the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people  their right to self-determination and to withdrawal from their occupied territories  and the right of all States in the area to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries. Also important to peace in the area is the solution of the question of Jerusalem.

 

The lack of progress in the search for a solution of this long-standing problem does not release this Organization from the exercise of its responsibilities nor should it diminish its determination to make progress in the attainment of peace and security. Indeed, the more intractable the problem proves to be, the more necessary it becomes for the United Nations to persevere in its efforts to find a just and comprehensive solution.

 

As part of its effort to deal with this complex problem, the General Assembly, at its thirtieth session, established the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People with a mandate to draw up a programme for the implementation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, which it had already reaffirmed. The Committee has made recommendations which the General Assembly has endorsed repeatedly. Those recommendations, reflecting, as they do the attitude of the majority of the membership, ultimately cannot fail to have an impact on the situation.

 

What is required is the political will of all parties to the dispute to make a determined effort to see an end to this problem and to restore peace and tranquility to a troubled region. Negotiations to this end must involve all the parties concerned, including the Palestine Liberation Organization. At the same time, actions must be avoided which would exacerbate tension and make a settlement more difficult to achieve.

 

Mr. Chairman, the Committee, under your able leadership, is to be commended for its untiring efforts on behalf of Palestinian rights. The work that your Committee is doing, no less than the General Assembly's decision to commemorate this important Day, is a constant reminder to the Palestinian people that the international community is deeply concerned about their plight and the need to assure implementation of their legitimate rights.

 

Statement by the President of the Security Council,

H.E. Mr. Taieb Slim 

 

Mr. Chairman, allow me, first of all, to thank you and the members of your Committee for having been so kind as to invite me to participate, as President of the Security Council, in the commemoration of this International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

 

Although well-established tradition on an international scale, and its solemn commemoration since 1977 has contributed significantly to drawing the attention of the international community to the question of Palestine and to emphasizing the paramount importance of the question in the search for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

 

The question of Palestine and the efforts to find a just solution to it, remains one of the major concerns of the United Nations and the international community as a whole, because it involves not merely restoration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and thus redress of the many years of injustice it has suffered, but also the stability of a particularly troubled region of the world and, thereby, international peace and security.

 

It was thus inevitable that the international community should come to regard the quest for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East as being closely connected to the fate of the Palestinians, who are considered no longer as mere refugees but as a specific community with well-defined rights. This Committee's important role in that respect deserves special mention.

 

For its part, the Security Council has for many years now been closely connected with the persistent efforts to find an equitable solution to the complicated problem of the Middle East. For more than a quarter of a century that region, so vital to the rest of the world, has been the theatre of important events which have at times seriously jeopardized international peace and security and have, therefore, required the urgent attention of the Security Council.

 

Yet, while dealing with those crises of incalculable consequences for world peace, the Council has never lost sight of the intrinsic importance of the fate of the Palestinian people and its role in the quest for a just and lasting peace, which is the ardent desire of the entire international community. Indeed, when circumstances have so required, the Security Council has firmly condemned violations of Palestinian rights in the occupied territories, just as it has firmly opposed any faits accomplis or other actions apt to impede the search for a comprehensive settlement of the Middle East problem.

 

The interest of the Council in this important question is also reflected in its many debates on the specific issue of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. The views expressed on this occasion reflect the growing conviction, both within the Security Council and within the Organization as a whole, that the quest for a lasting settlement of the problems of the Middle East must take account of the Palestinian question, in both its humanitarian and its political aspects.

 

Guided by the responsibilities conferred upon it by the Charter, the Security Council will continue its efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Middle East for the benefit of all parties concerned, and especially the Palestinian people.

 

THE PALESTINE LIBERATION ORGANIZATION

 

Mr. Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Executive Committee and

Commander-in-Chief of the Palestine Revolutionary Forces

 

I am pleased to address this message to you on 29 November, which the United Nations General Assembly has declared as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, to be celebrated every year until the Palestinian people has achieved its inalienable rights, including the rights of return, self-determination and the establishment of its own Palestinian State on its national Palestinian soil.

 

Undoubtedly, the celebration of this Day of Solidarity by the General Assembly signifies not only resolute support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people but also its participation in the struggle to realize those rights. Therefore the international Organization's commitment to continue to observe this day demonstrates that the just cause of the Palestinian people has become one of the most prominent questions before the United Nations. That explains the restored confidence of our Palestinian people and our Arab nation in this international Organization.

 

In recent years the United Nations has won the attention of the struggling peoples and gained the respect of mankind – so much so that our people look to the United Nations with optimism and hope that it will continue to play an increasing role in international life in general and in the resolution of our just cause in particular.

 

In this connexion, I find it appropriate to express the reservations of our people regarding the veto system, which the United States has exploited in the Security Council. Instead of using the veto to fortify the international will and to serve just causes, the United States representatives have turned it into a means of preventing any positive solution bringing about a just peace in the Middle East. The veto has even become a means of encouraging Israeli acts of aggression.

 

The past year has witnessed serious challenges that require this international body to rise to a level at which it can meet those challenges that threaten mankind and growing generations. Foremost among them are the threat of world war, the gradual depletion of human resources through the harmful and dangerous arms race, the despoiling of the international atmosphere and the deterioration and perversion of values and morals. Also among those challenges is the continuation of the world political and economic system of the age of colonialism and colonies. That system continues to bring about numerous forms of injustice for the peoples of the Third World and continues to prevent the rapid development to which they aspire. It is therefore necessary for the United Nations to continue its efforts to achieve a new international political and economic order.

  

Over the past year the Palestinian people under occupation have suffered from further acts of oppression, torture and collective punishment, which have given rise to hundreds of new cases in which the Israeli occupation authorities have violated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Moreover, those authorities have continued to confiscate land and private and public property, to establish new settlements and to seize Palestinian wealth beneath the ground. There is no end to the series of measures aimed at the deportation of Palestinians from their homeland, and the Judaization of the occupied territories, particularly in Jerusalem, is being persisted in. In this regard, I should like to draw the attention of the entire world, especially its Christian and Moslem components, to the dangers involved in the violation of the sanctity of the Holy Places and the persistent efforts to alter the historical character of Jerusalem and to obliterate its Arabic character in an attempt to make it Jewish. The excavations being undertaken beneath the walls of Al-Aqsa Mosque have already threatened it with collapse. This is a deliberate and flagrant affront to both Moslems and Christians. Encroachment upon places of worship of whatever faith or religious community must be considered an intrusion into all Holy Places and a potential danger to all of them.

 

Needless to say, such Israeli measures will precipitate reactions from the Arab Moslems and at the international level may threaten world peace and security. I hereby declare that we, the Palestinian Revolution, cannot remain silent vis-à-vis the Israeli annexation of Jerusalem and its declaration that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel. Judaization will turn the Christian and Moslem Holy Places into ancient sites devoid of the life that believers breathe into them.

 

That great historic city, which the Palestinian people kept precious and dear to the entire world, should not be turned into a jungle of settlements and military buildings, depriving the one and only Jerusalem of its historical and spiritual features. In view of these considerations the General Assembly has adopted a host of resolutions on and relevant to Jerusalem. Over the past year the Israeli authorities have committed further violations of the Eternal City and its Holy Places. It is therefore urgent for this Assembly this year to call upon the Security Council to take a decision to halt the excavations under Al-Aqsa Mosque and to ensure implementation of its decision by any means in the event of non-compliance by the Zionist authorities.

 

The question of Palestine is now faced with the most dangerous plot since 1967: the autonomy scheme of the Camp David agreements. The Israeli leadership has continued to impose oppressive conditions to further this scheme. On the West Bank and on the Gaza Strip the Israeli leadership is devising a distorted civilian state of affairs. It has resorted to the subterfuge of replacing military uniforms with plain clothes, The Headquarters of the Military Governor is now called the "Headquarters of the Civil Administrative Governor”. All this has been clearly expressed in the so-called Sharon Plan, named after the Israeli Minister of Defence. The Israeli Government has approved that plan, and attempts are being made to implement it by any means available to the occupation authorities.

 

It is perhaps obvious to all of us that the intent of this new Israeli game is to circumvent the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and to present a pre-emptive solution to the Palestinian question that would not exceed the limits of administrative autonomy, which is designed to be the alternative to the aspirations and inalienable rights of our people.

 

Perhaps the true evidence of the futility of this scheme and impossible path is the way in which our people took to the streets to express firmly and resolutely their rejection of all the dubious measures and plans, facing the bullets of the occupying army armed only with the will to struggle, and showing the whole world the originality of the Palestinian people and the power of struggle of their sons and daughters, and their commitment and adherence to their inalienable rights and to their sole legitimate representative, the PLO.

 

The Israeli authorities could not pursue their racist policies and practices without the full political, diplomatic, military and financial support of the United States. Can we explain the recent strategic agreement concluded between the Governments of the United States and Israel as anything but an expression of support for all those racist, annexationist and aggressive measures and policies?

  

Numerous resolutions have been adopted by the United Nations on the question of Palestine, but those resolutions have run headlong into Israeli contempt, indifference and defiance. Such arrogant behaviour could not occur were it not for the support the Israeli violations receive from the Government of the United States, both inside and outside the United Nations. How could a State which depends on foreign aid for its existence defy the international will if it did not receive cover from a super-Power, namely, the United States of America? Indeed, it is no longer acceptable or reasonable for Israel to continue to have the honour of membership in the United Nations and rejecting its resolutions and recommendations. Israel is the only Member that received conditional admission into membership of the United Nations.

 

The United Nations must take effective measures vis-à-vis Israeli arrogance and implement the resolutions and decision of the General Assembly and the Security Council on the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

 

This year the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples faced a series of Israeli attacks deep within Lebanese territory in plain view of the entire world. At the same time, the war of attrition continued in the south, involving artillery, rocket, land and sea attacks, as well as reconnaissance flights and air raids on peaceful villages and refugee camps inhabited by Lebanese and Palestinian civilians. All those attacks culminated in the war of aggression which broke out on 16 July 1981. The world press called it the sixth war, and at times the Israeli-Palestinian war; indeed, it was a war in the full sense of the word. It continued non-stop for 14 days and involved heavy fire, at a level never witnessed in the previous wars of the area. We exercised self-restraint for 18 hours following the all-out attack in order to give the United Nations enough time to stop that attack before the situation deteriorated in such a way as to threaten world peace, and the arrogant Israeli leadership mistook our self-restraint for weakness. Consequently, they intensified their attacks to such an extent that we were forced to respond two-fold. As a result, the enemy ranks were confused and the entire world admired the courage of the Palestinian fighter and the firmness and justice of the Palestinian decisiveness in battle. The aggression backfired and the war turned into a Palestinian victory on both the political and military levels, notwithstanding the enormity of the losses inflicted on Lebanese and Palestinian civilians.

 

In the city of Beirut, in particular, a whole residential quarter was destroyed, burying its inhabitants under tons of rubble and debris. The United Nations, which exerted great efforts to reach a ceasefire, testified to the highest degree of responsibility shown by the leadership of the PLO towards the whole world, to the ability of that leadership to control the situation, and to its integrity in observing the ceasefire because the patience of the Palestinian people has limits. If it is normal for the Zionist entity to lack the slightest degree of international responsibility towards the world and its peoples, it should not be normal for the United States Government to continue to behave irresponsibly, especially towards the Palestinian people, by giving the green light to the Israeli army to persist in the occupation of Jerusalem and the Palestinian and Arab territories and to pursue its genocidal war of conquest, raids, special operations, planting explosives and assassination against the Palestinian people. That situation can no longer continue; it will move into a new phase of conflict, the limits of which no one can predict. I therefore place full responsibility in this connexion on the shoulders of the United States Government.

 

I should like to draw the attention of the world in general, and the people of the United States in particular, through this international body, to the United States Government's demand that the PLO recognize Israel's right to exist as a precondition for meeting and talking with the PLO. This is another way of deliberately denying the rights of the Palestinian people, and continuing to behave irresponsibly and in contravention of international principles, norms and conventions. Our people are not begging for something to which they are not entitled, nor are they demanding any favours. They do not accept being insulted by the imposition of preconditions in return for recognition. As a people we are entitled to our inalienable rights, including the right to recognition and the right to have our own legitimate representative recognized. If that is not done, then the precondition does not secure those rights for them. Since our people is entitled to its full rights as a people, preconditions reduce its inalienable rights and constitute a violation, which we fully reject.

 

This international Organization and the majority of the States of the world recognize the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of our people. This has been approved by the United Nations and has been recognized officially by the majority of the States of the world, the non-aligned, the Organization of African Unity and the members of the Islamic Conference. It suffices to state, in this connexion, that the friendly Soviet Union has extended full diplomatic recognition to the PLO, identical to the recognition extended to States. I must mention also the diplomatic recognition of the PLO by Greece a month ago. After all this, what is the meaning of the voices that we hear speaking about preconditions in order for them to talk to us? I declare that the Arab Palestinian people refuse to talk with those who present preconditions.

 

The United States Government should have the courage to rid itself of Israeli blackmail represented by the pledge unjustly undertaken; otherwise the schism between the United States and the PLO will continue indefinitely. I should recall here that the statements made by the former United States Presidents Ford, Nixon and Carter, as well as by Mr. Kissinger, who made that pledge, provide additional evidence of the validity of my position in categorically rejecting that precondition.

 

I wish to express my deep appreciation to every country that has continued to stand with our people. I would like here to commend the Committee for its efforts and I hope that the whole world will recognize that our people, who carry the rifle in one hand and the olive branch in the other, have gone beyond the stage where we could accept the olive branch falling from our hands. We are at the stage where we are capable of planting that olive branch in Palestine and, in particular, on the hills of Jerusalem.


B.  Messages of Heads of State

AFGHANISTAN

H.E. Mr. Babrak Karmal, General Secretary of the Central Committee

of the People's Democratic Part and President of

the Revolutionary_Council and Prime Minister of the

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan

  

On the occasion of the commemoration of 29 November as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, I would like to take this pleasant opportunity and reiterate the sincere and firm support of the People and Government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan to the heroic and just struggle of the Palestinian people for the restoration of their national inalienable rights usurped by Israel with the backing of imperialism.

 

The evacuation of the occupied territories by Israel is an indispensable condition for the exercise by the Palestinian people of its inalienable rights in Palestine. This will enable the Palestinian people to exercise the rights of self-determination and to decide its form of Government without external interference. It is the duty and responsibility of the United Nations to render all assistance necessary to promote the economic development and prosperity of the Palestine entity.

 

The Government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan supports the continued efforts of the United Nations towards finding a just and comprehensive solution of the Middle East problem based on the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Israel from all the occupied Arab territories and the restoration of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, truly represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization including the establishment of an independent national state of their own.

 

Considering the Palestinian question as the core of the Middle East problem, the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan believes that collusive understanding or partial agreements will not lead to a just solution of the Middle East problem particularly the Palestinian question. We believe that the best solution to this question could be found by the convening of an international conference with the full participation of all parties concerned, including that of the PLO.

 

It is the moral obligation of all justice and peace-loving countries to stand side by side with the Palestinian people until their final victory.

 

While reaffirming our firm and all rounded support to our Palestinian brothers we are confident that their cause will triumph and soon they will achieve their rightful goals. We wish the prosperity of the Palestinian Arabs.

 


ALGERIA

H.E. Mr. Chadli Bendjedid, President of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria

and Secretary-General of the National Liberation Front Party 

 

This commemoration every year by the United Nations of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is a healthy custom. It reminds the entire world of the tragic state of affairs of the Palestinian people, and the United Nations of the very important responsibility incumbent upon the international community as a result of the tragic situation of the Palestinian people.

 

On behalf of the Algerian people and in my personal capacity, I should like to pay a tribute to the United Nations for its efforts to find a solution to the Palestinian problem by the return of the Palestinian people to its territory and the establishment of an independent State under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization, its sole legitimate representative. It is very regrettable, however, that to date those efforts have not had any positive results because of the intransigence and arrogance of Israel, which has violated United Nations resolutions and because of attempts to find partial solutions which run counter to the resolutions and the Charter of our Organization.

 

Any attempt to bring about a just and equitable peace in the region without considering the question which is at the heart of the matter, namely, the unconditional and complete withdrawal of Israel from all Arab territories and respect for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and independence, will be incomplete and doomed to failure, as was the case with the tripartite Camp David agreements, which met with the just rejection of the Palestinian people. That is clear proof of the truth of this statement.

 

Since Israel was created in 1948, the Israeli authorities have embarked on a policy of large-scale colonization, to the detriment of the Arab owners of the land, who were driven out. Although the United Nations and its various organs have adopted resolutions in support of the Palestinian cause and have condemned the Israeli settlement policy in occupied Arab territories, calling for a halt to it and the dismantling of the settlements already established, the Zionist entity nevertheless continues to flout human rights before the eyes of the entire world. The Zionist settlement policy is aimed at Judaizing the occupied Arab territories and isolating that part of the world, cutting it off from surrounding areas and encircling Arab towns with Israeli settlements in order to create a human barrier and impose a solution on the Arab population, forcing them to leave the territory. That policy therefore represents a policy of coercion by Israel of the Palestinian population.

 

Among the clearest signs of Israel's indifference to United Nations resolutions is its flagrant defiance of General Assembly resolutions, in particular the resolution adopted at its emergency special session in July 1980, which calls for Israel's withdrawal from all Arab territories occupied since June 1967, including the City of Jerusalem, before 15 November 1980. The Israeli Knesset immediately after the adoption of that resolution adopted a decision making Jerusalem the eternal capital of Israel.

 

Given that state of affairs it is up to the General Assembly, and the Security Council in particular, to take firm urgent measures to put a halt to this policy of expansionism, aggression and racism and to require Israel to respect United Nations resolutions. The Palestinian people will continue its heroic struggle of resistance and exercise its right to self-determination and to create an independent State.

 

In conclusion, we are quite sure that next year the Middle East will know peace and stability.


 

 

BAHRAIN

 

His Highness Sheikh Isan bin Sulman Al Khalifa,

Emir of Bahrain 

 

 

Bahrain is today celebrating with the entire world the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

 

The United Nations declaration of 29 November each year as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People has enjoyed support and attention from all peoples in the world which cherish justice and peace. This Day relates to the future and the fact of the question of the Palestinian people and nobody can deny that this is of concern to everybody, just as nobody can deny the legitimacy of the cause of the Palestinian people.

 

The importance of this day of commemoration is not solely to inform public opinion about the legitimacy of the Palestinian cause; above all, it highlights the urgent need for an equitable resolution of the cause of the Palestinian people, which has been aired for 36 years now in the United Nations, since its very creation.

 

This International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People coincides this year with a set of circumstances which has made the world more convinced than ever that it is necessary to put a speedy end to the suffering of the Palestinian people and to support them in achieving their legitimate rights as a sine qua non for just and equitable peace in the Middle East. 

 

Unfortunately, however, even though the United Nations is commemorating this Day there is nothing to bring comfort to the Palestinian people as regards the implementation of previous resolutions to relieve their suffering.

 

The tragedy of the Palestinian people has been going on for 34 years now, since, for no reason, the General Assembly on 29 November 1947 adopted a resolution to divide Palestine. At that time the United Nations had been in existence for only two years. Since the adoption of that resolution the world has witnessed a series of tragedies in the Middle East, which has known neither stability nor real peace since that time. Four devastating wars have broken out, armistice agreements have been concluded, disengagement agreements have been drawn up, partial agreements have been enacted and the United Nations has adopted more than 300 resolutions on the question of Palestine; but nevertheless the question of the Palestinian people remains unanswered, and this issue still lies at the very core of international consciousness in the twentieth century. The injustice meted out to the Palestinian people is the result not of United Nations principles, but of Israel's refusal to implement United Nations resolutions, Israel the aggressor, which is occupying the territories of other people.

 

On this commemorative day the eyes of the world are turned to the United Nations and we should like to underscore that the tragedy of the Palestinian people cannot be allowed to continue without its threatening the very existence of the United Nations and exposing the international community to danger. The development of events this year in the Middle East has given clear proof of the danger of the situation and its potential impact on international peace and stability.

 

The attitude of the State of Bahrain about the justice of the Palestinian cause is quite clear. We have on many occasions reaffirmed our solidarity with the Palestinian people, which is heroically combating world zionism. On this International Day of Solidarity we commend the heroic resistance of the Palestinian people to the racist practices of Zionism.

 

We should also like to reaffirm the total support of the people and Government of Bahrain for the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people. Furthermore, we support the legitimate struggle being waged by the Palestinian people under the leadership of its sole authentic representative, the Palestine Liberation Organization, to recover the rights of which it has been deprived. We reaffirm that the establishment of a just and lasting peace can be achieved only by Israel's complete withdrawal from all the occupied Arab territories and the exercise by the Palestinian people of its inalienable rights, in particular the right of return to its country, recovery of its national sovereignty, self-determination and the creation of an independent State on its own soil.

 

The United Nations commemoration of this day at a time when the United Nations has a special responsibility vis-à-vis the Palestinian tragedy calls for a responsible attitude on our part to solve the problem. This can be achieved only through, not so much further resolutions, but a firm stand to prevent Israel from arrogantly pursuing its expansionist aggressive policies practised to the

detriment of its Arab neighbours and the will of the Palestinian people, as well as its total refusal to grant their legitimate rights.

  

Given that situation, the international community, through the United Nations, should do everything to compel Israel to heed United Nations resolutions and return Arab territories to their true legitimate owners, thereby sparing the world catastrophe and destruction and ensuring international peace and security.

 

 

 


BANGLADESH

 

H.E. Mr. Jusitce Abdus Sattar, 

President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh

 

On the occasion of the observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, I, on behalf of the Government and people of Bangladesh, wish to reiterate our abiding support to the Palestinian people in their heroic struggle for independence and national liberation.

 

The Palestinian situation continues to challenge the international community as a major test of the credibility and capacity of the United Nations in pursuit of its fundamental responsibility for preserving peace and security in the world. No other problem has provoked so much thought, unleashed so much indignation or polarized the emotions of nations and individuals alike. It is our duty to promote a lasting and durable peace. If the peace is to endure it must be based on justice, and justice demands the redressing of all wrongs done contrary to international law, adherence to the norms and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and to the establishment of fundamental human rights.

 

There cannot be any doubt that the people of Palestine are a definite political entity. To ignore their presence is to discount a reality recognized by the overwhelming majority of States and, indeed, all mankind. Thus the fundamental element of a durable and permanent Middle East peace revolves around the recognition of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to a State of their own in their own homeland.

 

I take this opportunity to convey the deep appreciation of the Government and the people of Bangladesh to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for their commendable efforts in projecting the just cause of the Palestinian people.

 


 

 

CUBA

H.E. Mr. Fidel Castro Ruz, President of Cuba_and

Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement

 

On behalf of the Cuban Government and people, I should like to extend our most cordial greetings to the Palestinian people and its sole legitimate representative, the Palestine Liberation Organization, on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. On this memorable day I should like to reiterate that the Cuban people, together with all progressive forces the world over, continues to lend its backing to and stands in full solidarity with the just struggle of the heroic Palestinian people.

 

The commemoration on 29 November of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is in response to the desire of the United Nations General Assembly, expressed in resolution 32/40, to demonstrate the conviction of the international community regarding the oppression perpetrated against the Palestinian people, beginning in 1947 with the partitioning of the territory of Palestine into two States in accordance with resolution 181 (II), which involved the scattering of the Palestinian people imposed upon it from the date of that partitioning.

 

Ever since the Non-Aligned Movement was founded, it has been voicing, together with the United Nations and other international organizations and forums, its unswerving and unbreakable support for the just cause of the long-suffering Palestinian people. In many different declarations and resolutions, it has stressed the fact the Palestinian question is the crux of the Middle East conflict. The guidelines are laid down therein for a just and lasting settlement to the problem in that explosive part of the world. In most unmistakable terms, the expansionist character of Zionism backed by imperialism is stressed, as being a permanent threat to international peace and security.

 

Given this setting, the agreements reached at the sixth Summit Conference of the Non-Aligned Countries, held in September 1979 in Havana, along with subsequent pronouncements made at the New Delhi ministerial Conference, and at the recent ministerial plenary meeting of the Movement held here in New York, take on ever greater timeliness in so far as they condemn the Camp David agreements as reflecting a policy designed to strengthen the Zionist régime further and to safeguard United States interests in that part of the world, thus riding roughshod over the most basic rights of the Arab peoples, and in particular those of the Palestinian people.

Cuba, together with progressive countries and forces throughout the world, feels that an end must be put to the genocidal war being waged against the Palestinian people. Greater respect for and compliance with resolutions adopted by the United Nations, the Organization of African Unity and the Non-Aligned Movement must be demanded in order to call a halt to the ongoing acts of aggression which Israel  enjoying the political, military and economic backing of the United States is launching in an effort to crush the will of the Palestinian people and thus to be able to cling permanently to the lands of which it stripped them when it came into existence in 1948, and then again in 1956 and 1967.

The Cuban Government and people join in the condemnation by the international community of the savage air raids against the Iraqi nuclear centre and against Lebanon. They once again highlight the highly aggressive nature of the policy which Zionism has waged not only against the heroic Palestinian people, but against other Arabic peoples as well.

 

To carry out its imperialistic plans in the Middle East, the United States counts upon Israel and is seeking new allies, faithful servants of its strategic and military interests in that part of the world, and instruments whereby that country attacks peoples' interests, ascribing no importance whatever to the fact that the situation existing in that part of the world is growing ever more dangerous not only for that region but for the entire world.

 

The imperialist, hegemonistic, racist and Zionist policy is being foisted upon the Arab peoples, and in the most aggressive way upon the Palestinian people, ignoring the thousands of voices raised in international forums calling for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East and saying that to achieve such a peace the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to its own homeland must be fully respected, and that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) must be recognized as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

 

On this important occasion, we should like once again to make it crystal clear that the just cause of the Palestinian people will always enjoy the continuing support of our people, as the Palestinian people wages its struggle against imperialism and Zionism to attain enjoyment of its right to self-determination, to return to its homeland and to set up an independent Palestinian State on Palestinian land.

 

On behalf of the Cuban Government and people, and on my own behalf, I should like to extend my most respectful greetings.

 


 

 

DEMOCRATIC YEMEN

 

H.E. Mr. All Nasser Mohammed, Secretary-General of the

Central Committee of the Yemenite Socialist Party and

Chairman of the People's Supreme Council of the

Yemenite Revolution 

  

I have the pleasure to convey the greetings of the Central Committee of the Yemeni Socialist Party and its political leaders and the masses of our Yemenite people, confirming our support and solidarity with the legitimate struggle waged by the Palestinian people under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization to achieve its right to self-determination and to return to its homeland, thereby achieving its independence.

 

The resistance and the heroic revolution in Palestine are clear proof of the potential of the struggle represented by Arab resistance movements against the plans for aggression by imperialist and Zionist forces, aimed at aborting the armed struggle of our Arab brothers to recover hegemony over our destiny and future. The Palestine revolution, as a result of its position in the Arab armed struggle, has managed to foil all the plots, machinations and betrayals practised against it, achieving countless military and political victories, thanks to the coherence of its militant ranks and the support from Arab resistance movements in general, as well as the commitment of all peace-loving peoples and of socialism around the world.

 

The relationship between the struggle of the Yemenite revolution and that of the Palestinian revolution is a source of strength for both resistance movements, rejecting all acts of aggression against the Arab peoples. We are convinced that these revolutions will be further strengthened and will increasingly move towards resisting and combating the Camp David manoeuvres and all forms of conspiracy against the legitimate rights of our peoples".

 

 


 

EGYPT

H.E. Mr. Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, 

President of the Arab Republic of Egypt

 

The commemoration of this Day of Solidarity by the United Nations reaffirms the commitment of the international community to the noble principles upon which the Charter of the United Nations is based. The commemoration of this Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People once again expressed the confidence and conviction with which the international community regards the importance of establishing the rule of international law based on respect for the rights of peoples and human rights.

 

The tragedies and devastating wars that have stricken the Middle East for more than 30 years have resulted in the denial of the inalienable right of the Palestinian people and in millions of victims who have fallen in those wars, The vast financial resources needed for the development and prosperity of peoples in the region have been unavailable owing to such devastating wars. The international community cannot stand idly by. We must have peace and stability in this area.

 

The Palestinian problem lies at the very heart of the problems and conflicts that are determining the fate of the Middle East.

 

 


 

GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

 

H.E. Mr. Erich Honecker, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the

Socialist Party of Germany and Chairman of the Council of State

 

 

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is an occasion to reaffirm the consistent support by the German Democratic Republic of the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization for self-determination and the establishment of a state of its own. In conformity with the decisions adopted by the United Nations, the German Democratic Republic invariably believes that the solution of the question of Palestine is basic to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. Stability and security for all States of that region can only be achieved by the unconditional, withdrawal of the Israeli aggressor from all Arab territories occupied in 1967 and by the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

 

In view of the increasing international tensions which are threatening world peace, a complex peace settlement in the Middle East is becoming ever more urgent. In order to achieve it, the German Democratic Republic feels it is necessary to consistently implement the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations. The convening of an international Middle East conference with the Palestine Liberation Organization participating on an equal footing can, in the view of the German Democratic Republic, pave the way towards peace in the Middle East.

  

The German Democratic Republic will also in future consider it its duty to render every possible support and assistance to the sorely tried Palestinian people and its legitimate representative, the Palestine Liberation Organization.

 

 

 


GUINEA

 

H.E. Mr. Ahmed Sekou Toure,

President of the People's Revolutionary Republic of Guinea

 

For more than three decades now the question of Palestine has been at the very heart of the various conflicts which have convulsed the Middle East. Today it would be futile to try to ignore the fact that the PLO has become the sole and legitimate interlocutor without which no viable solution can be envisaged. Our deep conviction remains that this is the only realistic way to resolve the crisis and achieve the desired peace. As long as Israel maintains its annexation of the Holy City of Jerusalem and continues to occupy Arab territories by force, violating the sacred national rights of the Palestinian people and in violating the resolutions of the United Nations, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of African Unity, tension and the constant state of war will continue in this region and peace will continue to be threatened.

 

On the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, on behalf of the people of Guinea and its State Party, we reaffirm to the Palestinian people and its avant-garde movement, the Palestine Liberation Organization, our militant solidarity.

 

We are convinced of the inevitable victory of the just cause of the Palestinian people, a cause which is also that of all peace and justice-loving peoples.

 

 


 

HUNGARY

 

H.E. Mr. Pál Losonczi, President of the Presidential

Council of the Hungarian People's Republic

 

On the occasion of the international Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian Arab People, may I assure you that the people of the Hungarian People's Republic consistently and fully supports your just struggle.

 

The extreme reactionary forces increase tension also in the Middle East and oppose the most fundamental rights of the peoples.

 

The Palestinian Arab people is fighting for a just cause, for the assertion of rights, which all peoples, including the Palestinian Arab people are inalienably entitled to. The Hungarian people follow with sympathy and support the struggle of the Palestinian Arab people for self-determination and for the establishment of an independent state of its own. It is our firm conviction and we have repeatedly pronounced it in the United Nations and at all other international fora, that only a just and comprehensive settlement of the Middle East situation can guarantee the peace and security of the countries and peoples in that region and that all parties concerned, including the Palestinian Liberation Organization, the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, should take part in this settlement as equal parties.

 

On behalf of the Presidential Council of the Hungarian People's Republic, the whole Hungarian people and on my own behalf, I wish to the Palestinian Arab people further successes in their devoted struggle in which they can always rely on our solidarity and manifold support.

 

 


IRAQ

H.E. Mr. Saddam Hussain,

President of the Republic of Iraq

 

We have the pleasure of reaffirming our profound esteem for the efforts made by your Committee. We should also like to express our satisfaction with the activities undertaken by the Committee to reaffirm the rights of the Palestinian people. We should like to pay a tribute to your personal, efforts to have the resolutions of the United Nations on this question implemented.

 

However, I should like to draw your attention to the serious events which have taken place in this region, events which are reflected in an escalation of military operations by the Zionist entity in southern Lebanon, which was bombed in July. There were thousands of innocent victims of that bombing; property and vital services were destroyed. There was also Zionist aggression against the Iraqi nuclear power station, which led to its destruction. That station was built for peaceful purposes.

 

The barbarous behaviour of the Zionist entity has been condemned by international public opinion and by all peace-loving peoples and

has been denounced in international forums. The attitude of the Zionist entity has been characterized by intransigence and arrogance. The Zionist leaders have constantly made threats and resorted to all means to implement the very strange theory of 'Israel's security'. Thus, we are convinced that the struggle against international Zionism will be a difficult and long struggle because of the nature of Zionism and racial discrimination and the nature of the Zionist policy and its perfidious plans of hegemony, its denial of the legitimate rights of the Palestinians. Its authorities flout the rules of international law and the resolutions of all international organizations and defy international public opinion. This is because the Israeli authorities receive material and military support from the imperialist forces represented by the United States, which has had an ambiguous attitude and which has tried to find justifications and pretexts for its actions, frequently overt and sometimes covert. The Zionist entity is constantly perpetrating crimes against the heroic Palestinian people. The wars it has waged have had very harmful effects on the Palestinian people as well as on those in neighbouring countries, for example, the people of Lebanon. The imperialist forces are giving to the Zionist entity, as they do to the former Iranian régime, financial and military support.

 

Last year, on the occasion of the commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, we sent a message stating that the Iranian régime was forcing a war upon us in this region and that that war was being fed by the United States, which gives constant support to the Iranian régime in the form of equipment and spare parts. This war has created great tension in the region. As the Cypriot representative has noted, an Argentinian plane was shot down in the region, with American weapons and spare parts supplied by the United States.

 

Once again I should like to express our great confidence in the world of this Committee. We express the hope that the Committee will continue its activities and that it will continue to make every effort to reaffirm the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. We would like to express our satisfaction at the efforts made by the international community to reaffirm the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people on an international level. We would like to thank the Committee for its efforts to reaffirm the rights of the Palestinian people under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and to express the hope that the Committee will enjoy full success.

 

 


KENYA

 

H.E. Daniel T. Arap Moi, President of the Republic of Kenya

 

I wish to reaffirm, on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, O.A.U.'s total support to the Palestinian people in their struggle for self-determination and nationhood. The continent of Africa has consistently called for the recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people for an independent homeland.

 

The problem of the Palestinians is at the core of the Middle East problem, and no lasting peace in this area can be achieved without a lasting solution to the Palestinian cause.

 

 


DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA 

 

H.E. Mr. Kim II Sung,

President of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

 

Being pleased to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People when the militant bonds between the Korean and Palestinian peoples are strengthening day by day, I extend my brotherly greetings to you and, through you, to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian people on behalf of the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Korean people and on my own behalf.

 

On this occasion the Korean people express firm solidarity with the Palestinian people and all Palestinian fighters in their grave struggle for the just cause.

 

The struggle being waged by the Palestinian people today is a righteous struggle to regain the lost fatherland, completely restore their legitimate national rights, including the establishment of an independent State, and defend the dignity of the Arab nation, and it is a link in the chain of struggle of the world revolutionary people for anti-imperialism and independence.

 

Assuring you that the Korean people always stand by the fighting Palestinian people, I take this opportunity to sincerely wish the Palestinian people greater victory in their struggle against the U.S. imperialists and the Israeli aggressors, under your leadership.

 

 


KUWAIT

 

His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Prince of Kuwait

 

It gives me great pleasure to send these words, with my cordial greetings to you, Mr. Chairman, and the distinguished gathering today at United Nations Headquarters, to express on this solemn occasion in this supreme forum solidarity with the people of Palestine in their severe plight.

 

Again and again we have appealed to the international community and the esteemed Organization embodying its will to do justice to this long-standing issue. Now we call upon all justice-loving and freedom-loving people in the world to give their genuine support, not only in words but in deeds, to this just cause which has been crying out for solution to no avail.

 

One can only wonder how long such legitimate rights will he trampled upon with impunity, how long the United Nations resolutions will be ignored and unimplemented, how long this ill-fated people will remain deprived of its homeland and freedom and forbidden to exercise its right to self-determination and realize its full national aspirations.

 

Indeed the time has come to let right prevail over might, to put an end to arbitrary extortion and various forms of coercion, misery and misfortune.

 

It is imperative that the aggressors and their cronies remember that injustice can only beget hatred and instability and that a lasting and. comprehensive peace can never stand on a frail foundation of falsehood but only on a solid basis of justice and truth.

 

Let there be real peace to bring thereby joy and prosperity to lands which have been groaning under the heavy yoke of occupation and suppression.

 

 


 

LEBANON

 

H.E. Mr. Elias Sarkis, President of Lebanon

  

This year again we celebrate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and hope that a just and lasting solution will be found. This is represented by the affirmation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to return to their homeland. These rights are the very essence of any solution; they are the cornerstone of any peaceful solution to this problem in the Middle East.

 

Oppressed peoples have always aspired to those principles contained in the United Nations Charter, and Lebanon, which more than any other country has suffered from Israeli aggression, would like to address an appeal to the international community to shoulder its responsibility, which has been reaffirmed many times in United Nations resolutions.

 

Palestine Day is a day which reawakens the international conscience, and we hope that this Day will make it possible for the United Nations to continue its mission to find a just and equitable solution in this region so as to establish peace here.

 

 

 


MALDIVES

 

H.E. Mr. Naumoon Abdul Gayoom, 

President of the Republic of Maldives

 

There could be no better occasion than this International. Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People for the international community to express in unequivocal terms its fullest support for the Palestinian people in their just struggle to regain their inalienable rights. The United Nations, in my view, provides the best forum for educating world public opinion and arousing the international conscience about the hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children of Palestine who have been forcibly and systematically driven out of their homes and deprived of their fundamental rights as human beings.

 

The people of the Republic of Maldives once again condemn in most vigorous terms the unprecedented atrocities, including the indiscriminate murder of civilians, torture, wanton destruction of homes, illegal confiscation of property and desecration of holy places, that the people of Palestine are still being subjected to, in spite of all United Nations resolutions. We reiterate, as we have done on numerous occasions, our unwavering support for the people of Palestine, who are waging a sacred battle to free themselves from the yoke of oppression and occupation.

 

Last month marked the sixty-fourth anniversary of the so-called Balfour Declaration, which extended support for the intentions of Zionist Jews to establish a national, home on Palestinian soil. It is worthwhile recalling that at the time this Declaration was made, in 1917, more than 90 per cent of the population of Palestine were Moslem Arabs. Today, almost the entire Arab Palestinian population has been driven out of this land and turned into helpless refugees. Thousands of innocent children have been born in exile, with the consequence that hundreds of thousands of children and young people are at present living in subhuman conditions, without proper shelter, food and clothing.

 

We believe that the latent conscience of the international community should awaken to the sufferings of these men, women and children so that serious thought will be given to their humanitarian problems, as well as to the political issue of Palestine. We hope that the world community will, without any further delay, accelerate its efforts to achieve justice in this major international problem that has eluded solution for more than 30 years and that has sparked four wars.

 

The people of Maldives take this opportunity to declare, with other peace-loving nations of the world that are participating in this meeting, their solidarity with the people of Palestine and vehemently to denounce the acts of war and violence that are being committed against them every day. We fully support the aspirations of the Palestinian people, who are striving to regain their rightful homeland and set up an independent Palestinian State on their national soil. We also call for the unconditional withdrawal of all. Israeli armed forces from all the occupied Arab territories, which is a prerequisite for any just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

 

We are confident that the day is not far off when the cause of justice and peace will, triumph on the soil that is sacred to three major religions of the world  the soil of Palestine.

 

 


 

MAURITANIA

 

H.E. Mr. Mohamed Ould Haidalla, 

President of the Military Committee and Head of State

 

On the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, it is a pleasure for me to be able to express to you the sincere and lasting devoting of the Mauritanian people, its Military Committee and its Government to the triumph of liberty and justice in the Holy Land of Palestine. I am also very happy to be able personally to convey to you our warm congratulations and to ask you to convey those sentiments to the Committee working with perseverance and determination to accomplish its very difficult task.

 

Finally, I should like to reiterate our faithfulness to your constant position in favour of the just cause of the suffering Palestinian people, the restoration of an independent Palestine under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and the unconditional and total withdrawal of Israel from the Palestinian and other occupied Arab territories, including the City of Jerusalem. We are certain that under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization and thanks to increased support on the part of international public opinion which you are so effectively mobilizing, the Arab people of Palestine will recover their inalienable rights.

 

 


MONGOLIA

H.E. Yu. Tsedenbal, Chairman of the Great People's

Khural of the Mongolian People's Republic

 

On behalf of the Mongolian People's Republic and the Mongolian people, I extend to you, Mr. Chairman, the Palestinian people and the Palestine Liberation Organization sincerest congratulations on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian

People.

 

The worsening situation in the Middle East calls for effective measures to be taken to support the Palestine liberation movement.   The United States Administration is pursuing a policy of open terrorism against the Arab peoples, trying to strengthen the United States political, military, strategic and economic positions in the Middle East and to undermine the liberation movements in the region, including the Palestine liberation movement. It is trying to use Egypt to justify the so-called strategic co-operation between the United States and Israel. The large-scale manoeuvres called 'Brightstar' with the use of interventionist troops of the Rapid Deployment Force, are a further addition to Israeli-United States manoeuvres in the Middle East and North Africa.

 

The hegemonist desires of the United States serve the aim of creating a so-called multinational armed force to maintain peace in the Sinai Peninsula. As a result of such actions, the United States and the growing aggressiveness of Israel have created particularly dangerous tensions in the Middle East, fraught with serious consequences for the peace and security of peoples throughout the world. Such a development of events makes it extremely urgent that we find a just and acceptable settlement in the Middle East.

 

My Government feels that the Palestinian question lies at the heart of the problem of the Middle East and that without the implementation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people it will be impossible to achieve a just settlement in the Middle East. Therefore, we strongly condemn the attempts made by the parties to the Camp David agreements to undermine administrative autonomy for the Palestinians, avoiding solution of the fundamental questions regarding the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to exercise self-determination and to create its own State. The Mongolian Government supports the convening of an international conference on a Middle East settlement, with the obligatory participation in it of the PLO, the sole, legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, on an equal footing with all other interested parties.

 

It must be noted that the just struggle of the Arab people of Palestine is gaining ever wider support in the world community and the PLO is increasing in authority.

 

On this solemn Day our people again expresses its warm solidarity with the Arab Palestinian people fighting to exercise its inalienable rights and sincerely wishes it every success in its just struggle against imperialism and Zionism, and for freedom and independence and the establishment of a stable, lasting peace in the Middle East.

 

May I take this opportunity to wish you and your Committee every success in the noble activities aimed at the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, in implementation of United Nations resolutions on this question.

 

 


OMAN

 

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Emir of Oman

 

This International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is a fitting occasion to confirm our solidarity with the Palestinian people, which have lived and continue to live in tragic circumstances since Israel plundered their territory, scattering them to the four corners of the earth. We should like to reconfirm our support for their just struggle to recover their legitimate rights.

 

The people of the whole world are called upon today to stand side by side with the Palestinian people, which have been fighting for more than 34 years now to live a decent life like other people. This Day of Solidarity coincides with very dangerous events imposed by Israel's aggressive policy, not merely upon the Palestinian people, but also against other Arab peoples, thereby defying United Nations resolutions which condemn Israel. This Day coincides with acts of aggression by Israel against the Palestinian people. Israel has bombed Lebanese towns, under the pretext of bombing Palestinian refugee camps; the Israeli air force attacked the Iraqi nuclear reactor, violating the airspace of certain Arab countries; Israel plans to dig a canal linking the Dead Sea with the Mediterranean; Israel is carrying out diggings near the Al-Agsa Mosque.

 

All these Israeli practices are a threat to peace and security not merely in our region but throughout the world, and they should be condemned by the international community, which should discharge its responsibility by bringing international pressure to bear to force Israel to give up its policy. The international community must step up its support for the Palestinian people. Previous attempts to bring about a just and equitable peace in the Middle East failed because of Israel's intransigence and we hope that the peace plan presented by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be successful and that the Middle East will come to know peace.

 

We should like to commend here the United Nations contribution to bringing about a peaceful settlement.

 

 


PAKISTAN

 

H.E. General Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq, 

President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

 

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is observed every year under the aegis of the United Nations.

 

For us in Pakistan, it is a solemn occasion of great significance and a grim reminder of the grievous wrongs which have long been perpetrated on the Palestinian people. Forcibly uprooted from their ancestral homes they have had to suffer every kind of hardship and indignity including the deprivation of their inalienable and legitimate right to a homeland and an independent and sovereign state of their own. Under the dedicated leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the people of Palestine have waged and continue to wage a relentless and valiant struggle against the forces of oppression and usurpation. It is a matter of great satisfaction to us that the people of Pakistan have stood by their Palestinian brethren at every stage of their trial and tribulation and extended their unwavering support and assistance to them. In the various international forums too, Pakistan has made strenuous efforts for restoring the just and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. Today, once again, we reaffirm our commitment to their cause and reassure our Palestinian brothers of our full support in their struggle for a sovereign and independent state. The keen interest being displayed by the international community in the Palestinian cause is a testimony to the growing acceptance and recognition which is being accorded to the rights of the Palestinian people. It is also indicative of the fact that an irreversible historical process has been set in motion, a process which will inevitably lead to the vindication of the just stand of the Palestinian people. At this crucial juncture in the Palestinian people's struggle, I reaffirm our solidarity with the Palestinian people which is rooted in the strong bonds of Islamic identity and cultural affinity and is also in full consonance with the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. It is our firm conviction that the Palestinian people's cause is just and legitimate. As the brave people of Palestine continue their determined struggle and sacrifices for the liberation of their homeland, the people of Pakistan stand firmly by them and pray for their success in the critical, times ahead.

 

 


POLAND

 

H.E. Mr. Henryk Jablonski, President of Poland

 

On the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, on behalf of the highest authorities of the Polish People's Republic, the Polish people, and on my own behalf, I wish to convey into your hands, Mr. Chairman, the most cordial greetings and words of solidarity and support for the friendly Arab people of Palestine and the genuine spokesman of their will – the Palestine Liberation Organization.

 

The struggle waged by the Palestinian people against the Israeli policy of aggression and expansion is particularly close to us Poles, who in our history have more than once had to face aggression and militarism, paying tremendous costs in blood and sacrifice in defence of freedom and independence. This is why we permanently and invariably reiterate our profound solidarity with the strivings and aspirations of the Palestinian people, who wish to live on the soil of their forefathers, liberated from the Israeli occupier, and to the rightful members of the great family of free nations. At the same time, we express our full support for the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as that people's sole legitimate representative and for the participation of the PLO, on a par with other parties concerned, in efforts aimed at a global political solution of the Middle East conflict, in accordance with appropriate United Nations resolutions. The need for such urgent efforts arises from the developments in the Middle East, characterized by the increased tension in that region, which represents a danger to peace in the world. This is the result of a new escalation of actions on the part of imperialist forces that are aimed at consolidating and expanding their military presence in the region and subordinating the region to their interests.

 

I avail myself of this opportunity to wish the Arab people of Palestine further success and final victory in their rightful struggle for the realization of their inalienable national rights, including the right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent State.

 

The attainment of a just solution to the conflict in the Middle East would guarantee a secure existence for all States and peoples of that region and would be a contribution to the strengthening of peace, security and international co-operation.

 

 

 


QATAR

 

His Majesty Sheik Khalifa bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of Qatar

 

Your Committee is meeting to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People against a background of certain events. The situation is very serious in view of Israeli practices which not only usurp Arab territories and Moslem and Christian holy places but violate all international rights and principles and infringe upon the dignity of Moslems and Christians around the world. Israel has also defied the United Nations force in southern Lebanon, an infamous and unprecedented act because it flouts the will of the United Nations and undermines the prestige of the Organization, which has sought to protect international peace and security.

 

The second serious international issue is the international reaction to the barbarous and inhuman crimes constantly committed by Israel. They have gone far beyond any possible limits.

 

However, while the international reaction has not been as firm and clear as the serious international situation stemming from Israeli practices and aggression requires, it does give grounds to hope for international action as a result of international recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and in particular its right to self-determination, total freedom and the creation of an independent State on the soil of its homeland, under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), its sole legitimate representative.

 

Any delay in finding a comprehensive and just solution to the Palestinian problem would inevitably endanger international peace and security. To avoid such a danger it is more than ever necessary for the United Nations and the great thinkers of our time to work together in order to call a halt to Israel's manoeuvres, to find an equitable solution to the problem and to impose that solution on Israel. There can be no doubt that your commendable efforts, inside and outside the United Nations, to affirm solidarity with the Palestinian Arab people will make it possible to find a just and equitable solution to the problem in the Middle East, making it possible to restore peace and security in the area and thereby helping to strengthen international peace and security.

 

I should like to express to you our great respect and wish you full success in the discharge of your mission.

 

 

 


ROMANIA

 

H.E. Mr. Nicolae Ceausescu, General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party

and President of the Socialist Republic of Romania

  

On the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, I should like, on behalf of the Romanian Communist Party, Socialist Romania and all the Romanian people to reaffirm our solidarity with and support for the cause of the Palestinian people, for the achievement of its rights and legitimate aspirations to a free and independent existence, within the framework of its own national State.

 

In present international conditions, whose complex and contradictory nature is further accentuated by the tendency to consolidate and divide up spheres of influence, Romania speaks out firmly in favour of a reduction of tension between States and on behalf of the resumption and continuation of a policy of peace, détente and co-operation, of respect for the national independence of all peoples. We feel that efforts on the part of all States and all peoples must now be directed towards speeding up the solution of conflicts and hotbeds of tension between States, as well as controversial problems, through negotiations aimed at achieving scrupulous respect for the sacred right of all peoples to develop in full freedom and independence.

 

It is in that spirit that Romania has therefore acted to assist in the efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement of the Middle East conflict through negotiations, to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, based on the total withdrawal of Israel from the Arab territories occupied in 1967, including Arab Jerusalem, and to settle the problem of the Palestinian people through recognition of its legitimate rights, including its right to self-determination and the establishment of its own independent State, based on guaranteeing the independence and sovereignty of all the States in the area.

 

Socialist Romania believes that it is necessary now to intensify political and diplomatic activity, including that of the United Nations, in order to give a new impetus to the peace process in the Middle East and to use the present propitious conditions to build a new negotiating framework by convening an international conference within the framework of the United Nations, with the participation of all parties concerned including the Palestine Liberation Organization, as well as the Soviet Union and the United States of America and other States which might make a positive contribution to the solution of the conflict in the region.

 

I should like to take this opportunity to underscore the deep conviction of Romania that the cornerstone of the establishment of a comprehensive peace in the Middle East lies in the solution of the Palestinian problem, with the guarantee of conditions necessary for the Palestinian people to realize, as soon as possible, its national aspirations to live in peace and tranquility in its own independent State.

 

The restoration and consolidation of united action and solidarity of all the Arab States, the assurance of broad participation by the PLO in efforts undertaken at the international level to find a solution to the problem of the Palestinian people would be of particular importance and have a positive effect on the over-all efforts aimed at achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement.

 

Romania will make its contribution in the future, as in the past, to a just and lasting solution of the problems of the Middle East, to the establishment of a comprehensive peace in the region and to the realization of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, in the interest of peace, co-operation and security in the region and the entire world.

 

In conclusion, I wish to express the conviction that the United Nations can and must plan an even more active role in the efforts to resolve the Middle East conflict and to find a political settlement of all the situations of tension and conflict. It would be desirable to adopt a resolution providing for the convening of an international conference to achieve a comprehensive settlement and a just and lasting peace in that very troubled region of the world, in conformity with the hopes and expectations of the peoples to live in an atmosphere of tranquility and peace and of international security and co-operation.

 

 

 


SENEGAL

 

H.E. Mr. Abdou Diouf, President of the Republic of Senegal

 

At a time when the United Nations is commemorating the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, I should like to convey to you on behalf of the people and Government of Senegal, and on my own personal behalf, all our best wishes.

 

This is an occasion for my Government, which attaches particular importance to the commemoration of this Day, to reaffirm its determination and to spare no effort to contribute to the implementation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to return to its homeland, to self-determination and to the creation of an independent State in Palestine, as defined by the relevant resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly.

 

We are moreover convinced that any equitable settlement of the question of Palestine must inevitably involve the full and thorough participation by the Palestine Liberation Organization in its capacity as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, in any talks or negotiations aimed at bringing about such a settlement.

 

The Day which we are all celebrating is particularly important because it testifies to the determination of the international community to promote the restoration of the national inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and its determination, through the United Nations, to play an active and constructive role to achieve this goal. In this respect, it is a particular pleasure today to be able to pay a tribute to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for the useful, serious and outstanding work it has performed since it was created.

 

As a result of its persistence and determination, your Committee has helped to present the question of Palestine in its true light. I should like to reaffirm the support of the Senegalese Government and my own support for the recommendations made by your Committee as a basis for a fair settlement of the question of Palestine.

 

The Senegalese Government and I personally urge you to continue in your efforts, and we assure you of our whole-hearted co-operation. In working to promote Palestinian rights, you are serving the ideals of peace and justice which lie at the foundations of the United Nations itself.

 

 


 

SOMALIA

 

H.E. Mr. Mohamed Siad Barre,

President of the Somali Democratic Republic

 

On the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, I wish to express the strong support of the Somali people and Government for the struggle of the Palestinian people for their national independence and the restoration of their usurped land. We call for the unconditional and immediate withdrawal of Israel from all Arab territories occupied in 1967, the dismantling of all Israeli settlements, the recognition of the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole representative of the Palestinian people. We further call on the international community to oppose the continued illegal occupation by Israel of the Arab territories and its violation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. The international community has a special responsibility to bring about a lasting peace to the Middle East question on the basis of a just settlement of the Palestinian issue.

 

 


 

SRI LANKA

 

J.R. Jayewardene, President of the Democratic Socialist

Republic of Sri Lanka 

  

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people offers the world community the opportunity once again to focus attention on the plight of the Palestinian people.

 

Despite rapidly growing international recognition of the fact that the question of Palestine lies at the very core of the conflict in the Middle East, the people of Palestine continue to be denied their inalienable national right.

 

No solution of the Middle East conflict will be just or lasting unless it ensures the exercise by the Palestinian people of their inalienable national rights, including the right to return, to self-determination and to establish an independent State in Palestine, a pre-requisite to which is the withdrawal by Israel from all occupied Palestinian and Arab territories.

 

Sri Lanka has been constant in its support of the Palestinian people and their sole and legitimate representative the Palestine Liberation Organization. I take this opportunity to express once more on behalf of the Government and people of Sri Lanka our solidarity with them.

 

 


[

SYRIA

 

H.E. Mr. Hafez Al-Assa, President of the Syrian Arab Republic

 

I have the pleasure of taking the opportunity of the commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People to express on my own behalf and on behalf of the Syrian Arab people sincere greetings on the occasion of this meeting which is to reaffirm solidarity with the Palestinian people.

 

That is a people which still suffers from flagrant injustice practised by Zionism and imperialism. It suffers from the fact that its rights are rejected and flouted every day, since the imperialist and Zionist forces are trying to achieve their grandiose dream of preventing the Arab people from creating its own homeland and of strengthening their hegemony in this region.

 

By celebrating the international Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, you are reaffirming here a noble principle: that of the reaffirmation of the just cause of the Palestinian people. By doing so you are rejecting the flagrant injustice carried out against that people.

 

Therefore, I should like to reaffirm here that Syria wishes to participate in all efforts made by the international community, as represented by the United Nations, to enable the Palestinian people to realize their rights to recover their territory and to establish a homeland on that territory.

 

Syria would like to reaffirm here its solidarity with the Palestinian people and its commitment to the principles and resolutions of the United Nations. We should like to reaffirm here the right of the Palestinian people to recover their rights and to exercise their right to self-determination and to a sovereign State.

 

Allow me to say here that Israel and the imperialist forces are ignoring reality and are defying the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. They are trying by all means to increase and to worsen the conflict in this region by using threats and aggression, which can have very serious consequences and which can threaten peace and security in that region and in the entire world.

 

As a consequence of this policy the imperialist and Zionist forces are trying to impose, in the name of peace, capitulation in that region. These forces are trying to preserve their occupation of Arab territories in the name of secure borders. These forces are trying to deprive the Palestinian and Arab people of their most natural rights, their fundamental rights which have been reaffirmed by the Charter of the United Nations.

 

The Arab-Israeli conflict, which is the very consequence of imperialist and Zionist aggression against the Arab nation, is indeed a struggle between good and evil, a struggle between peace and war, a struggle between respect for the Charter of the United Nations and international law and against the flagrant violation of these principles and of the Charter of the United Nations.

 

We in Syria feel that the Palestinian question lies at the very heart of our concern, for Syria and Palestine are only a part of the great Arab Nation. That is why the reaffirmation of the right of the Palestinian people lies at the very heart of our concern. We hope that this just cause will finally triumph and that is why we are sparing no effort to achieve the triumph of this just cause.

 

In this regard, we should like to express our thanks to the international community for making every effort to support the Palestinian people in their struggle. The commemoration of this Day is an expression of support for the just cause of the Palestinian people.

 

May I once again express our sincere greetings and wish you every success in this meeting.

 

 


 

TOGO

 

H.E. Mr. Gnassingdé Eyadema, President of the Republic of Togo

 

The observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is an historic event and a valuable opportunity for the Togolese Government, its vanguard party, the Rassemblement du Peuple Togolais, and me personally to reaffirm our unswerving and militant support for the just Palestinian cause and our firm determination to work for the effective exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

 

In this connexion, we particularly wish to express the hope that this observance will serve to make the international community better aware of the urgency of an equitable and lasting Palestinian settlement, without which the peace in the Near East will remain precarious and fragile.

 

 


 

TUNISIA

 

H.E. Mr. H. Bourguiba, President of Tunisia

  

I have the pleasure, on this special Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, to express greetings on behalf of my country ad on my own behalf, and to say how much we respect commendable efforts made constantly by you to support the just and legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people.

  

I should like to take this opportunity to appeal to the international community and all peoples of the world to recognize the growing scope of the Palestinian cause, since it is quite clear today that there are dangers to the international community's principles and values stemming from international strategies deployed against the Palestinian people.

 

There can be no doubt about the barbarous and cruel policy pursued by Israel, which uses all means to expand, and to occupy those territories. For more than three decades now it has been using this strategy against the Palestinian people. The Zionists have tried to usurp Palestinian, territory, confiscating the property of the Palestinians. They have launched raids on Lebanon and other Arab territories.

 

Furthermore, Israel has murdered several leaders and militants of the Palestinian people around the world in various capitals.

 

Everybody now knows of the suffering of the Palestinian people through detention, torture, collective punishment, physical liquidation, persecution and wanton racial discrimination to ensure that the Palestinian people will once and for all renounce its right to its territory and its country. Israel is attempting to impose this strategy on all the countries of the area. Israel has tried to spread a state of permanent conflict to all the countries of the region. On more than four occasions Israel has declared war in the area in order to exhaust the Arabs' determination and force them to sacrifice Arab development. Israel has attempted to impose its hegemony on that people, which wishes to live in peace and security.

 

The Palestinian people has suffered one catastrophe after another as a result of this barbarous strategy. The international community also has suffered as a result of this policy because Israel is using all means available to it to spread confusion and tension, threatening international peace and security. This policy is aimed at undermining the efforts of the international community to ensure détente around the world.

 

The peoples of the East and the West are aware of the dangers involved in this strategy. Projects are being set up to find a solution to the problem of the Middle East. Tunisia is one of the countries that has recognized the need to find a solution to the problem in the Middle East, thus avoiding the scourge of war in our part of the world. Projects were set up reflecting the clear determination to get all the parties to the conflict to participate in negotiations. However, despite the desire of the Palestinian people for peace in that part of the world, Israel has resorted to false allegations to kill such projects.

 

Tunisia thinks it is high time that the international community and the United Nations exercised all due pressure to put a halt to the arrogance and intransigence of Israel. Such pressure could bring Israel to heel and get it to respect the principles of international Conventions. We could thus lay the foundations for a just and equitable solution in the region and bring about the triumph of justice, allowing the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian people to create an independent State. We are convinced that such a solution would make it possible to establish peace and security in the area and to allow the peoples of the region to live in peace and security, sparing them wars and conflicts and thereby assisting international détente.

 

We are profoundly convinced that the international community can build a society of peace and security.

 

 

 


UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS

H.E. Mr. Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, General Secretary of the

Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and

President of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union

 

On the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, on behalf of the Soviet people and on my own behalf I offer you, Comrade Arafat, of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and the entire Palestinian people warm congratulations and good wishes.

 

Together with progressive Arab States and all the patriotic forces of the Arab world, the Palestinian people are stubbornly and bravely fighting against Israeli aggression and the plots of imperialism. They are strongly rejecting the separate deals and dangerous military plans of the United States and Israel and are consistently in favour of achieving a comprehensive and just settlement of the Middle East problem. The heart of such a settlement lies in the implementation of the legitimate rights of the Arab people of Palestine, above all the right to self-determination and to creation of their own independent State.

 

All-round support for those just demands and recognition of the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian Arab people indicate the real intentions of those who express their adherence to the idea of peace in the Middle East.

 

The Soviet Union again declares its consistent sympathy and support for the rights of the Palestinians, and we note with satisfaction the further growth of the international authority of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the reliable vanguard of the Palestinian people in their legitimate struggle for their rights.

 

I wish you, Comrade Arafat, your co-fighters and the entire friendly Palestinian people further success in the struggle for national independence and the creation of your own State, and for just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

 

 

 


UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

 

H.E. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan,

President of the Republic of the United Arab Emirates

 

On the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, I should like to express to your Committee our deep appreciation and thanks for the support you are giving the struggle of the Palestinian people and your efforts to ensure that that people may exercise its inalienable rights.

 

The Palestinian people has suffered the partition of its land and violation of its right to self-determination as a result of the decision of the Israeli authorities to expel that people from its territory and its homes and to confiscate its property.

 

On the Gaza Strip and the West Bank the Israeli authorities are constantly violating human rights. Examples of such violations are the killings and goalings, the torturing of individuals and the establishment of settlements on the territory of the Palestinian

people.

 

We see the Palestinian people suffering daily as a result of those Israeli practices. We should like to greet and welcome the choice of this day as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which reflects the will of the international community to assume its responsibility for that people.

 

This Day also tangibly reflects the great respect of the international community for the cause of justice in that area and its desire to continue supporting the heroic struggle of the Palestinian people.

 

We are happy to see the systematic refusal of the international community to recognize agreements or conventions that do not take into account the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

 

We should like to express our satisfaction at the renewed support for the Palestine Liberation Organization and its legal representation on a basis of equality with other members at international conferences and in the context of the United Nations itself, in bodies that are

trying to find a just and equitable solution to the Palestinian problem.

 

We are sorry to see some States here pursuing policies contrary to the rights of the Palestinian people and policies favourable to Israel, because Israel would not have been able to continue defying international opinion and resolutions of the General Assembly if it had not enjoyed military, economic, financial, political and diplomatic support from such States.

 

Given this situation we must ask the international community to translate its support for the Palestinian people into effective measures to discourage and frustrate the aggressor and to bring about realization of the people's rights. 

 

We should like to assure you, Sir, that we shall spare no effort to help the struggling people, nor shall we spare any effort or support to help that people to recover its rights.

 

 


VIET NAM

H.E. Mr. Pham Van Dong, President of the Council of Ministers

of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam

 

On the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, on behalf of the Vietnamese people and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam I have the honour to extend to you and, through you, to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, my warm greetings.

 

We greatly acclaim the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, a people which has tirelessly waged a struggle against the Israeli aggressors and the American imperialists to safeguard independence and freedom. We are of the view that now more than any other time forces in the world which love peace and justice must give solidarity, support and assistance to the struggle of the Palestinian and other Arab peoples against the perfidious plots of imperialism and Zionism aimed at eliminating the struggle of the Palestinian people and imposing on the Arab peoples a solution of division. This movement of solidarity must go hand in hand with the struggle against the arms race and American military presence, which is constantly increasing in the Middle East, and for the independence, sovereignty and security of the peoples of the region and of the world.

 

We strongly condemn the Camp David agreements and give unreserved support to the sacred struggle of the Palestinian people under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization, its sole legitimate representative, to regain its fundamental national rights, including the right to self-determination, to return to its homeland and to establish a Palestinian State. We support the struggle of the Arab peoples to recover all the Arab territories occupied by Israel.

 

 


YEMEN

 

H.E. Mr. Ali Abdulla Saleh, President of the Yemen Republic

and Chief Commander of the Armed Forces

 

I have the honour to address this important gathering to commemorate the struggle of the Palestinian people. I should like to reaffirm the support of our country and our people for our Palestinian brothers in their struggle to regain their legitimate rights, including their right to their land and their territory and their right to self-determination and to the creation of a free and independent State. This solidarity affirms the legitimacy of the struggle of the Palestinian, people, which is striving to regain its legitimate rights. This solidarity also reflects the will of the international community as expressed in various relevant United Nations resolutions.

 

The aggressor's policy of aggression and settlements is a challenge to the international community, and we should like to draw attention to the fact that the perpetuation of Israel's expansionist policies represents a danger to the security of that region and the Arab States of the area and makes it imperative for the Palestinian people to protect themselves and their land.

 

We should like to express our confidence that the struggle of the Palestinian people will be successful. We appeal to peace-loving countries and peoples to intensify their support for the Palestinian revolution so that the Palestinian people may recover their full and inalienable rights.

 

 


YUGOSLAVIA

 

H.E. Mr. Sergej Kraigher, President of the Presidency

of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

 

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, observed this year for the fourth time, is another opportunity to reaffirm the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, national independence, sovereignty and the right to its own State.

 

Although the people of Palestine has not yet realized its national rights, its justified struggle meets with ever-wider support by the international community. Today the national being of the Palestinian people and its right to a State are most broadly accepted, and the Palestine Liberation Organization, as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and an active member of the international community, recognized. The Palestine Liberation Organization has become a full member of the Non-Aligned Movement, an observer at the United Nations and a member of a number of international agencies and bodies.

 

The foundations of this positive evolution are, above all, the increased national consciousness of the people of Palestine, its readiness to suffer enormous human losses for its liberation, the clearness of the vision of its liberation movement and its constructive approach to the search for a lasting and just solution.

 

Non-aligned countries have always been the harbingers of the struggle for freedom and independence of all peoples and countries, and they have thus become the most stable support of the struggle of the Arab countries for the liberation of occupied territories, and of the struggle of the people of Palestine for the realization of its national rights. The recent special mission of non-aligned countries which visited the Palestinian camps was given evidence of the vast destruction resulting from the last Israeli aggression.

Today, more than ever before, we are witnessing a number of new initiatives and efforts aimed at helping the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. Yugoslavia welcomes and supports these initiatives for the cessation of Israeli aggression, the withdrawal of Israel from the Arab territories occupied in the war of 1967, the recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to its own State, and the equal participation of the Palestine Liberation Organization, as the sole legitimate representative of the people of Palestine, in all negotiations.

 

It is encouraging that most countries accept these realities and that such a positive approach is becoming ever more dominant.

 

 

 


 

C.   Messages from Heads of Government and a Deputy Prime Minister


CHINA

 

H.E. Mr. Zhao Ziyang, Vice-Chairman of the Central Committee

of the Communist Party of China and Prime Minister of the

State Council of the People's Republic of China

 

On the occasion of the Fourth Meeting to commemorate "The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People", I wish to express, on behalf of the Chinese Government and People, our high respects to the Palestinian people who are fighting for the restoration of their national rights.

 

The core of the Middle East question lies in the Palestinian question. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has become a political, force not to be ignored in the Middle East. Most countries in the world hold that the United Nations resolutions relating to the Middle East question should be carried out and the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people regained so as to attain a fair and comprehensive settlement of the Middle East question.

 

The Chinese and Palestinian peoples have long sympathized with and supported each other and have established a profound friendship. Not long ago, Chairman Yasser Arafat of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization paid an official and good-will visit to China. The visit was a complete success. It further enhanced the understanding and friendship between the Chinese and Palestinian peoples and will exert a positive influence on the development of Sino-Palestinian relations.

 

I wish to take this opportunity to reiterate that the Chinese Government and People strongly condemn the Israeli authorities for their continued persistence in a policy of aggression and expansion and firmly support the Palestinian and other Arab peoples in their just struggle. I am convinced that so long as the Palestinian and other Arab peoples persist in unity and make unremitting efforts, they will succeed in realizing their lofty goal of regaining their national rights and recovering their lost territories.

  

 


 

INDIA

 

 

H.E. Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India

 

 

On the solemn occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, I affirm to the Committee the full support of the Government and the people of India in the realization of its objectives.

 

Our support to the Palestinian cause has been consistent and has been part of our foreign policy since its very inception. Even in the thirties, when we ourselves were struggling for freedom, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru expressed sympathy for the Arabs of Palestine in the fact of Zionist threat and wished them complete success in the attainment of their objectives.

 

We are glad there is increasing awareness in the world community of this just cause. The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People has a significant role. I send my good wishes for its endeavours.

 

 


MALTA

 

H.E. Mr. Dom Mintoff, Prime Minister of Malta

 

 

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People provides us with the welcome opportunity to reiterate our support and renew our commitment to a just and noble cause  the struggle of a suffering people for dignity, peace and independence. The Government of the Republic of Malta has steadfastly maintained its solidarity with the Palestinian people in the pursuit of their inalienable rights to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty. We have shared their dismay at the many obstacles which have incessantly blocked the way to an early fulfilment of their deepest aspirations, and we have joined in their rejoicing at the increasingly successful manner in which these obstacles are being eliminated.

 

The last few months have marked a crucial turning point in the struggle of the Palestinian people. Under the heroic leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization, their sole and legitimate representative, they have widened and consolidated the international respect and support for their just cause. The Socialist Government of Malta is convinced that the day is drawing near when the long overdue solution to the Palestinian problem will be achieved, thereby opening the way for an era of peace and co-operation in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. We pledge our continuing support to the ongoing struggle.

 


 

SAUDI ARABIA

 

H.R.H. Prince Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, Crown Prince of the

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Deputy Prime Minister

 

 

On the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, I have the pleasure to express to you our greatest appreciation for the praiseworthy efforts made by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People in support of their just cause.

 

This is for us a timely opportunity to recall our support for the Palestinian people's regaining in the near future all their legitimate rights the right to return to their homes, the right to achieve self-determination and the right to establish an independent State on their national territory.

  

I should also like to express my thanks and appreciation to the States which have supported law and justice by committing themselves to the international instruments and supporting Security Council resolution 478 (1980), which requested States that had established diplomatic missions at Jerusalem to transfer them to Tel Aviv as an expression of their non-recognition of Israel's making Jerusalem its unified capital. That resolution revealed Israel's intransigence and its annexationist policies in the occupied Arab territories, designed to eliminate the heritage of the Palestinian people, thus defying all the resolutions of the United Nations and international instruments declaring the illegitimacy of the annexation of territory by force.

 

I should thus like to appeal to all friendly States to oppose the Zionist plots aimed at distorting the Palestinian personality, driving out the Palestinian people and making them suffer both within and outside the territories, and which threaten peace and security in the region of the Middle East and in the entire world.

 

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remains convinced that a comprehensive and just peace cannot be achieved in the Middle East without fulfilling the principle of total withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories, including Arab Jerusalem, and granting the Palestinians the right to self-determination and to create its own State on its territory. We in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are firmly convinced that the Palestinian question enjoys the understanding of friendly States and peace-loving countries and that the Palestinian people, led by the PLO, will find full support among those peoples.

 

We are convinced that international solidarity with the Palestinian people, as expressed by this special Day, is a good opportunity for the peace-loving countries to express their support for putting an end to foreign domination so that the Palestinian people can regain their legitimate rights; including their right to self-determination, and achieve their freedom and independence, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.

 

 

 


 

D. Messages from Ministers and Ministries for Foreign Affairs

 


BARBADOS

 

 

H.E. Mr. Louis R. Tull, Minister for Foreign Affair

 

 

Once again I am happy that the opportunity has been provided for me, on behalf of the Government and People of Barbados, to join with other Member States of the United Nations in observing today as International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people.

 

Another year has gone by and a solution to the long standing conflict in the Middle East is not yet in sight. Unfortunately, instead of all parties redoubling efforts to find a peaceful solution to the problem, there are indications that a renewal of open warfare in the region is a distinct possibility.

 

Barbados continues to believe that no solution to the Middle East problem is possible until the parties to the dispute, including representatives of the Palestinian people, are involved in negotiations to find a permanent solution acceptable to all the peoples of the region. These negotiations must recognize the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty, while creating the environment for Israel to exist within secure and recognized boundaries.

 

As long as the conflict in the Middle East remains unresolved, there is an ever present threat to international peace and security, and the peoples of the region will continue to be denied the chance to achieve a better standard of living.

 

Barbados will continue to support United Nations efforts to find a just and lasting settlement to the problems of the Middle East.

 

 

 


GREECE

 

 

H.E. Mr. Yannis Haralambopoulos, Minister for Foreign Affairs

 

Once again the international, community is called to express its solidarity to the Palestinian people, who continue to be denied one of the most sacred rights of the Charter, the right of self-determination. This state of affairs causes unending bloodshed and suffering and perpetuates the confrontation and the tension in the Middle East, with all the ensuing dangers for international peace and security.

 

The Greek Government, whose devotion to the principles of the United Nations is well known, has always supported and will go on supporting the Palestinian people and its sole representative, the Palestinian Liberation Organization, in their struggle to gain statehood. We sincerely hope that, with the contribution of the international community, an equitable solution will be reached to one of the longest standing international problems.

 

I am convinced, Mr. Chairman, that your Committee will continue to bring its valuable contribution to this endeavour.

 

 

 


 

INDONESIA

 

 

H.E. Mr. Mochtar  Kusumaatmadja,

Minister for Foreign Affairs

 

 

On the occasion of the commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, on behalf of the Government and people of Indonesia, I wish to express once again our full support for the just struggle of the Palestinian people for the implementation of their inalienable rights to self-determination, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian State.

 

The present commemoration underscores the support of the international community for the just cause of the Palestinians. At the same time, it also reflects the urgency of resolving the Palestinian problem, which is the core of the Middle East question. It is noteworthy to point out that today, more than ever, it is universally recognized that any solution to the Palestinian problem must include the withdrawal of Israel from all occupied Arab territories. My Government strongly believes that the United Nations must and will continue to play an important role in supporting the attainment of the sacred aspirations of the Palestinian people.

 

It is my earnest hope that the Palestinian people will soon take their rightful place among the community of nations as an independent and sovereign State.

  

 


 

JAPAN

 

Mr. Yoshio Sakarauchi, Minister for Foreign Affairs

 

 

It is my great pleasure to convey the cordial greetings and best wishes of the Government of Japan on the occasion of the Fourth International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. International recognition of the need to settle the question of Palestine continues to grow. Recently, Chairman Arafat of the Palestine Liberation Organization visited Japan at the invitation of the Parliamentarians' League for Japan-Palestine Friendship. On that occasion, the Prime Minister and the then Foreign Minister of Japan had the opportunity to candidly exchange views with him on the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestine. We found these talks to be significant in terms of enhancing mutual understanding of our respective positions and of pursuing Japan's efforts to contribute as far as possible to the settlement of the question of Palestine.

 

As you are well aware, Japan realizes the importance of the question of Palestine and has consistently maintained the position of recognizing and respecting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. I wish at this time to confirm the basic position of the Government of Japan regarding the solution of the above question.

 

First, peace in the Middle East should be just, lasting and comprehensive.

 

Second, such a peace should be achieved through the early and complete implementation of Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 and through the recognition of and respect for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the right of self-determination, under the United Nations Charter.

 

Third, each and every path toward the realization of such a peace must be explored, with careful consideration being given to the aspirations of all the peoples in the region, including the Palestinian people, and to the legitimate security requirements of the countries in the region.

 

In accordance with these fundamental principles, Japan believes it is essential, first and foremost, that Israel withdraw from all the territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem. Moreover, the result of exercising their right of self-determination must be decided by the Palestinian people themselves. Japan holds the view that the right to establish an independent state is included in the concept of the right of self-determination.

 

Thus, Japan supports the principles contained in, and the spirit of, General Assembly resolution 3236 of 1974 and resolution ES-7/2 of the emergency special session of the General Assembly held in July 1980, which recognize the right of self-determination of the Palestinian people. In order to ensure that these General Assembly resolutions will effectively constitute a firm basis for achieving a just peace in the Middle East, Japan believes that it is necessary to add to them an important principle, that is, respect for and acknowledgement of the right of every state in the area to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries.

 

Japan further believes it is necessary that both the Palestinian people's right of self-determination and Israel's right to exist be mutually recognized, and that the Palestine Liberation Organization, which represents the Palestinian people, participate in the peace process.

 

In accordance with Japan's basic position as I have just outlined it, we hope that the question of Palestine will be settled through a process of talks and that a comprehensive peace will be achieved in the Middle East as soon as possible. The Government of Japan is prepared to co-operate with efforts which, it is sincerely hoped, will steadily bear fruit in achieving this common goal.

 

 


JORDAN

 

 

H.E. Mr. Marwan Kasim, Minister for Foreign Affairs

 

 

It gives me honour to salute your commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on November 29, 1981. Jordan, which considers the cause of Palestine its first cause, as it is the cause of the Arab World in its entirety, takes this opportunity to express absolute solidarity with the people of Palestine in their struggle to restore all their usurped rights and also to join with the Palestinian people and with all peace-loving states to erase the aggression against the people of Palestine, inspired by our faith in the natural right of the Palestinian people in their homeland and on their national soil, a right safeguarded by the Charter of the United Nations, international law and all the principles upon which the United Nations was founded.

 

As I express my salute on this occasion, I wish to reiterate our faith that the rights of the Palestinian people will be redeemed, thanks to the solidarity of all the peoples of the world which believe in justice, freedom and peace.

 

 


REPUBLIC OF KOREA

 

H.E. Mr. Shinyong Lho, Minister for Foreign Affairs

 

 

On the occasion of the commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, I would like to join the international community, on behalf of the Government and people of the Republic of Korea, in expressing once again our full support for the cause of the Palestinian people and our solidarity with them in their just struggle for self-determination.

 

It is our firm belief that all the international disputes should be settled not by force but through peaceful negotiation, and that acquisition of territory by force is inadmissible.

 

Based on this belief, the Government of the Republic of Korea has made its position on the question of Palestine known to the international community and I would like to reiterate it as follows:

 

1. The legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination, should be fully respected;

2.   The Palestine Liberation Organization solely represents the people of Palestine;

3. The Israeli forces should withdraw from the Arab territories occupied since the 1967 war, including Jerusalem.

In this connexion, I would like to draw your attention to the recent decision of my Government to contribute one million US dollars to the Student Aid International to help assist the Palestinian refugee students.

 

I take this opportunity to pay a tribute to the Chairman and members of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for their unswerving efforts to help solve the question of Palestine, which is essential to the settlement of the Middle East question as a whole.

 

 


LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA

 

 

H.E. Mr. Abdulati Al-Obeidi, Secretary of the People's

Committee of the People’s Bureau for Foreign Liaison

 

 

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, a day to be celebrated by all peoples in the world, reaffirms the commitment of the international community to noble principles and also reaffirms the will of all peoples to support the Palestinian people in their struggle to establish a sovereign state. This is the duty of the international community to the Palestinian people.

 

The celebration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is being carried out pursuant to General Assembly resolution 32/40 B. This is one of the resolutions that have confirmed the right of the Palestinian people to return to their land and their right to self-determination. This Organization is reaffirming its convictions as regards the rights of the Palestinian people to recover their land and their legitimate right to build a sovereign State in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

 

The Zionist entity is a discriminatory entity that is challenging international public opinion and is denying the rights of the Palestinian people. The Zionist entity is trying to destroy the homes of the Palestinians from the occupied territories. The Zionist entity is continuing to attack occupied Arab territories and is trying to destroy by every means the Palestinian Arab civilization in occupied Palestine. The Zionist entity is perpetrating barbarous crimes against Lebanon, and this exposes women, children and old people to collective genocide. I would go so far as to say that these crimes even exceed the crimes committed by Nazi Germany. The systematic aggression against Lebanon and against the territory and the security of its people has resulted in the total destruction of certain parts of that country. These barbarous attacks have an ignoble aim, that is, to divide the Palestinian people by the use of such methods as the division of the people and the destruction of their convictions. The Zionist entity also bombed and attacked the nuclear power station in Iraq. This attack was just an attempt to prevent the Arab nation from benefiting from modern technology in the various economic fields and from using atomic energy for peaceful purposes.

 

The Zionist entity, which is defying international public opinion and is. defying the resolutions of the United Nations and the principles of the United Nations Charter and the principles of international organizations, would not have been able to carry out these crimes without the military, economic and moral support given by United States imperialism. This is a violation of recognized international principles and this is a danger to international peace and security. This military support given to the Zionist entity is an obstacle preventing the realization by the Palestinians of the right to self-determination and the right to build a sovereign State.

 

Any sanctions that might be applied could help to promote the cause of the Palestinian people  a cause which has had no response since 1948. The agreements which have been concluded cannot achieve a just solution of the problems of the Middle East, because United States imperialism has tried to find in the Zionist entity an ally and a partner, and the agreements concluded with regard to the Palestinian question deny the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. These agreements are a distortion of the role that must be played by the United Nations. They neglect the inalienable rights of the parties concerned.

 

The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, in rejecting these agreements, also rejects any collusion which leads to a mortal attack on the Palestinian people's right to return to their homeland.

 

To realize the noble principles of the just cause of the Palestinian people, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya offers its support to the Palestinian people in their struggle to regain their legitimate right to build a sovereign State on the territory of Palestine. The Jamahiriya is willing to co-operate with all peace-loving countries in order to find a just and lasting solution to the problem. The Jamahiriya does not fear the threats made against it by imperialistic and Zionist circles.

 

The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya is particularly glad to express its appreciation to and esteem for you personally, the Rapporteur and all the members of the Bureau for the important work they are doing.

 

 


 

MALAYSIA

 

 

H.E. Mr. Tan Sri Ghazali Shafie, 

Minister for Foreign Affairs

 

 

I take great pride in joining other members of the international community to extend special greetings to the people of Palestine on this auspicious occasion. On this international day of solidarity, the Government and people of Malaysia cannot but rejoice at the growing international, support received by the Palestinian people in their struggle to realise their inalienable rights. We salute the Palestinian Liberation Organization for the role it continues to play in providing the leadership for the valiant struggle against injustice, oppression and foreign domination.

 

Having long recognized the centrality of the question of Palestine in any solution to the Middle East conflict, Malaysia is keenly aware of the importance of satisfying the demands of the Palestinian people for the realization of their inalienable rights. Malaysia is therefore proud to be associated in the international efforts towards this end. Numerous challenges and obstacles continue to face the Palestinian people on their road to victory but we are confident that their determination and sense of mission will carry them through.

 

It is only appropriate on this auspicious occasion that I once again pledge Malaysia's continuing support to the PLO in their just struggle. We wish them every success.

  

 


 

MOROCCO

 

 

H.E. Mr. M'hamed Boucetta, Minister for Foreign Affairs

 

 

I have the pleasure, on the occasion of the commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, to address to you the congratulations and thanks for the efforts which you are making for the benefit of Palestine and its people.

 

Morocco, led by its King, Hassan II, has always expressed its constant support for the Palestinian people in their attempt to recover all their inalienable and legitimate rights, including the right to return, the right to self-determination and the right to create an independent State on their national soil under the guidance of the Palestine Liberation Organization, their sole legitimate representative.

 

Morocco expresses its commitment to continue all its support and assistance for the Palestinian people to enable them to recover all their occupied territory, including the Holy City of Jerusalem so that it may remain a meeting place for all peoples around the world.

 

Like all people in the world, I welcome the resistance of the Palestinian people in their struggle, their dignity in the face of Israeli intransigence, and their attachment to the struggle for their rights. The Arab and Islamic nation as a whole, which has expressed its determination to support the Palestinian people in their resistance to the Zionist invasion, is fully willing to use all its means to counter the Israeli challenge.

 

The resolutions of the United Nations supporting the rights of the Palestinian people are very clear. It is high time that these resolutions were implemented and that an end was put to Israeli aggression.

 

The international community, together with peace-loving States, headed by the States of the Third World, are called on to continue their efforts and to carry out all measures to ensure victory.

 

Once again I welcome the struggle and the victory of the Palestinian people and the measures carried out by the United Nations, and the legitimate efforts made by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.

 

I should also like to pay a tribute to the efforts of its Chairman, Mr. Sarré of Senegal, a brother country which deserves the fullest esteem.

 

 


 

SUDAN

 

 

Statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

 

 

On the occasion of the commemoration of the Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Sudan avails itself of this opportunity to stress once again the unswerving position of the Democratic Republic of the Sudan of support for the Palestine Liberation Organization, the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and of support for the Palestinian people with regard to the restoration and exercise of their legitimate rights, including their return to their homes and their right to self-determination. It deems it necessary also to draw the attention of the international community to the fact that Israel's obduracy and constant disregard of the rights of the Palestinian people, which have been affirmed by the international community, in particular in the Charter and the resolutions of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, still constitute a serious threat to peace in the Middle East region and to international peace and security. The Democratic Republic of the Sudan is, therefore, fully convinced that a comprehensive and just solution of the Middle East problem is impossible to achieve without the full withdrawal of Israel from the occupied Arab territories, including Jerusalem, and without the Palestinian people's enjoyment of their right to independence and national sovereignty.

 

The increasing support which the people of Palestine, under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization, receive from all friendly States underscores the international community's conviction of the legitimacy and legality of the rights of the Palestinian people, which now require not so much a plea for sympathy as positive action by the international community to strengthen support for the Palestinian cause and for the Palestine Liberation Organization, the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and action to halt the changes which the Zionist entity is endeavouring to introduce in the occupied Palestinian territories in order to change their natural, demographic, economic, cultural and religious characteristics.

 

The choice of this day, 29 November of each year, as an international day of solidarity with the Palestinian people helps to remind the peace-loving peoples of the world of the just cause of the Palestinian people and to urge their support for the restoration of their legitimate rights. It is, unquestionably, an occasion for peace-loving peoples and States to demonstrate their solidarity with the cause of the exercise by all peoples under alien domination of their right to self-determination, freedom and independence, in accordance with the Charter and principles of the United Nations.

 

We are confident that the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, through its sincere efforts, will work to polarize and consolidate the support of the international community for the restoration of their legitimate rights. The Sudan, for its part, will endeavour to achieve these lofty goals through the international community to which it belongs, as a member of the non-aligned group, the Islamic Conference, the African Group and the Arab Group, and will continue to participate in all gatherings dealing with the solution of this question until an end is put to the suffering of the Palestinian people, so that their legitimate rights are restored to them and they occupy their lofty place among the peace-loving peoples of the world.

  


TURKEY

 

 

H.E. Mr. liter Turkmen Minister for Foreign Affairs

 

 

On the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the "International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People", I would like to convey to the brotherly Palestinian people my sincere wishes for an early success in their just struggle for the recognition of their legitimate and national rights under the leadership of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

 

Turkey has always maintained the view that international disputes should be solved in accordance with the principles of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force, the right to self-determination, justice and equity.

 

It is with this understanding that Turkey considers the recognition of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to establish their own State and evacuation of all occupied Arab territories as an essential condition for the achievement of a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East and reaffirms these views on every occasion. In conformity with this basic approach, Turkey supports and co-sponsors all the draft resolutions which reflect this line of thinking presented to the United Nations and to the Islamic Conference, and takes part, as an active member in the work of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.

 

I avail myself of this opportunity to reiterate my sincere wish to see the sufferings to which the Palestinian people with whom we share historical ties, have been subjected for more than 30 years come to an end as soon as possible and express my firm belief that the Palestinians will sooner or later, succeed in attaining their just cause.

 

 

 


E. Messages from Governments 

 


ARGENTINA

 

 

H.E. Mr. Juan Carlos Beltramino,

Permanent Representative to the United Nations

 

 

I am pleased to address you in connexion with the special meeting which the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People is to hold today, 30 November 1981, to commemorate 29 November, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, in accordance with the provisions of General Assembly resolution 32/40 B of 2 December 1977.

 

In this regard, I wish to recall that the Argentine Republic has always supported the just right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and independence, in accordance with the provisions of the resolutions of the General Assembly and with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

 

The Government and people of the Argentine Republic are convinced that the question of Palestine, which lies at the heart of the crisis in that area of constant upheaval and every kind of violence, requires a just and equitable solution that satisfies the legitimate aspirations of all interested parties and, in particular, the Palestinian nation.

 

It is in this spirit that the Argentine Republic fully supports the commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

 

 


 

BYELORUSSIAN SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLIC 

 

 

Message sent to the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic

 

As in previous years, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People has been widely observed in the Byelorussian SSR.

 

Much material in the periodical press and in radio and television broadcasts was devoted to the topic. The Byelorussian public was extensively informed regarding the content of the message sent by L.I. Brezhnev, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Community Party of the Soviet Union and Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, to Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

 

The special meeting held at United Nations Headquarters in connexion with the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and the discussions on the question of Palestine at the thirty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly were given wide coverage in the mass information media.

 

At meetings of representatives of the public and in the mass information media, serious concern was expressed regarding the increasingly tense situation in the Middle East brought about by the militaristic aspirations of the United States and growing Israeli aggressiveness. It was pointed out that the United States, which has openly proclaimed a "strategic alliance" between Washington and. Tel Aviv, has made Israel the chief instrument for carrying out its plans to establish political, military and economic dominance over the peoples of the Middle East. It was emphasized that, like all Soviet citizens, the workers of the Byelorussian Republic favour a comprehensive settlement in the Middle East. The core of such a settlement is the implementation of the legitimate national rights of the Arab people of Palestine, particularly the right to self-determination and to the creation of its own independent State. A genuine and constructive approach to a comprehensive Middle East settlement is afforded by the proposal put forward at the twenty-sixth Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union for the convening of an international conference on the Middle East with the participation of all parties concerned, including the Palestine Liberation Organization.

 

The observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People has once again confirmed the fact that Soviet citizens strongly condemn the aggressive actions of Israel against neighbouring Arab States and the Arab people of Palestine; they also condemn Israel's racist policy towards the occupied Arab lands, including Palestinian lands. They advocate resolute action by the entire international community, including the United Nations, aimed at a comprehensive and just settlement in the Middle East, withdrawal of Israeli troops from all the Arab territories occupied in 1967, restoration of the usurped rights of the Arab people of Palestine, including its right to establish its own State, and guarantees of the security and sovereignty of all States of the region.

 

Like all Soviet citizens, the workers of the Byelorussian SSR express their heartfelt solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people for the implementation of its legitimate rights and call for the mobilization of international support for its just cause.

 

 

 


GRENADA

 

 

Message sent by Grenada

 

 

Three decades have passed since the people of Palestine were shamelessly uprooted from their homes and their land. During that period they have been consistently denied their inalienable right to freedom and justice. The persistence of this situation despite frequent international condemnation, constitutes a vulgar defiance of world opinion and an insult to humanity and to the dignity of the United Nations.

 

On this day of solidarity with the Palestinian people, the People's Revolutionary Government of Grenada, declares once again its unswerving support for a valiant people and for their just cause. We pledge our continued solidarity with them as they struggle courageously under the leadership of their vanguard party and their sole representative, the PLO, to regain their national territory and to dwell once more in a homeland of liberty and justice.

 

The Government and people of Grenada resolutely condemn the genocidal acts perpetuated by the Israeli forces against the people of Palestine.

 

We condemn the continued military, economic and diplomatic support given by Imperialism and Zionism.

 

The Government and people of Grenada once again denounce the so-called Camp David Accords and all such attempts at a partial solution of the Palestinian issue.

 

We declare once more that the PLO as sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, must participate in any deliberations aimed at a just and comprehensive solution.

 

We reiterate the call upon the State of Israel to withdraw completely and unconditionally from all the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since June 1967, with all property and services intact.

 

Today as every day, the people and Government of Free Grenada salute the heroic people of Palestine under the brave and dignified leadership of Yasser Arafat and the PLO. We are confident that victory will soon be theirs.

 

Long live the people of Palestine.

 


NICARAGUA

H.E. Mr. Alejandro Bandaña Rodriguez, Alternate Permanent Representative

on behalf of the Board of Government of National Reconstruction

  

 

The Board of Government of National Reconstruction of Nicaragua has the honour of addressing Your Excellency and through you the Committee and the Palestinian people and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the heroic brother Palestinian people, on 29 November, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

 

We should like to express our militant support for your just cause which you are facing with sacrifice and determination, irrespective of imperialist, Zionist aggression in the defence of your inalienable rights.

 

 

 


 

F. Statements by Regional Groups of States at the United Nations

 


 

Group of African States

 

 

BENIN

 

 

Mr. M. Saturin K. Soglo,

First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Benin

 

 

It is an honour and a privilege for me to participate as Chairman of the African Group in this International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

 

Today, more than 30 years have passed since, by a racist doctrine, the Palestinian people was deprived of its homeland and condemned to exile. More than 30 years have passed since, in the name of Zionism, the Palestinian people was deprived of its most fundamental rights and condemned to live in tents as if in a concentration camp, condemned to live on the charity of voluntary international organizations. For more than 30 years also, faced with tyranny and oppression, the Palestinian people has been waging a resistance struggle under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), fighting for the restoration of its fundamental right to self-determination and national sovereignty.

 

For a long time the international community remained indifferent to the fate of the Palestinian people, but today it is seeking a just, lasting solution to the problem of Palestine, in order to preserve peace and security in the world. To that end the United Nations has been making sustained efforts to bring about conditions facilitating a settlement of the Palestinian problem. Thus, the commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People by the United Nations comes within the framework of these constant efforts made by the Organization to bring about the triumph of justice and right, the right of people to live freely in peace, and the elimination of colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism and apartheid.

  

A basic concern of our Organization ever since its inception must remain a priority for the United Nations until the final liberation of the occupied territories and first and foremost Palestine and Namibia. A just and lasting peace cannot be established in the world without the recognition of the real and legitimate rights of countries to live in independence as sovereign States, without any external intervention, in accordance with the United Nations Charter and principles of international law.

 

In the struggle to put an end to that tragedy and to find a just and fair solution to the problem, Africa sides totally with the efforts of the international community. The struggle by the Palestinian people against the Zionist entity of Israel is similar to that waged against the racist régime of Pretoria. There is also the same arrogance, the same inhuman racism and the same defiance of resolutions of the international community. Thus, since its inception, the OAU in all its meetings has constantly assured the Palestinian people of its total unswerving support. During their eighteenth regular session, held in Nairobi last July, the Heads of State and Government of the members of the OAU reaffirmed that just and lasting peace could be achieved only if the Palestinian people were able to exercise their inalienable rights, in particular their right to return to their homes, to regain their national sovereignty, to live in peace without interference, and to establish their own State in Palestine.

 

In that respect, the Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) made an appeal to the international community that it intensify its pressure on Israel in order to compel it to comply with the United Nations Charter and relevant resolutions adopted on the question of Palestine. Furthermore, they reaffirmed the imperative need for Israel to put an end to its illegal occupation of the Arab territories and condemned the Israeli annexation measures and measures for the Judaization of Jerusalem.

 

In other words, the OAU is firmly committed to a just and lasting solution of the Palestinian problem. In that respect it is not superfluous to recall that Tanzania, an African country, had the honour of holding in 1980 the first United Nations seminar on the subject of the Palestinian people.

 

The African Group, while congratulating you, Sir, on the commemoration of this International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, would like to express the hope that this commemoration will help us achieve the objectives of the Organization to end imperialism and the occupation of territories by force and to establish an international community that is more just and peaceful.

 

I cannot conclude without telling you, Mr. Chairman, of our appreciation of and support for the efforts your Committee has constantly made to enable the Palestinian people to live freely in sovereignty in its restored homeland.

 

 


 

zGroup of Arab States

 

 

QATAR

 

 

H.E.   Mr. Hasim Yousif Jamal,

Permanent Representative to the United Nations

 

 

I have the honour of speaking on behalf of the Group of Arab States. I should like to convey my most heartfelt greetings to the Arab Palestinian people, which is resisting firmly and heroically an enemy equipped with the most sophisticated weapons in order to regain its usurped homeland along with its freedom and its inalienable political rights. These are rights often reiterated in the United Nations resolutions but, as far as Israel is concerned, its response is an obdurate policy which goes on oppressing the Arab Palestinian people, those living under direct Zionist occupation as well as those living in Lebanese refugee camps. Israel has turned the Gaza Strip and the West Bank into an immense prison, where human dignity is scorned and the most basic of human rights are violated.

 

Israel continues to hold Lebanon hostage, and Israeli forces are imposing their rule over Palestinians inside and outside their own borders using tanks, aircraft and shells of all kinds against innocent women and children, thus violating all the relevant United Nations resolutions and all the rules of international customary law and of international law in general. To further its expansionist designs it has settled Jews in the occupied Arab territories and thus continues usurping the rights of the Arab peoples. It does so in particular by proclaiming Jerusalem to be the eternal capital of Israel.

 

As we commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, it is over 30 years since the General Assembly was first seized of the question of Palestine. The international community deals with this issue at the individual and official levels also. The question of Palestine is at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and over the past three decades it has turned the Middle East into one of the most dangerous hotbeds of tension that the world has ever seen.

 

All that bears witness to how justified the claims and demands of the Arab people of Palestine are. The international community has recognized the rights of that people to self-determination and to regain its homeland and the legitimacy of its continued struggle under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization, its sole legitimate representative, to win back finally its usurped rights.


Group of Asian States 

  

 

PAKISTAN

H.E. Mr. Niaz A. Naik,

Permanent Representative to the United Nations

 

 

On behalf of States members of the Asian Group, I consider it a great honour to participate in this solemn meeting to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

 

The Asian Group first of all wishes through me to convey its deep appreciation of the tireless efforts the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People has been making to carry out its mandate under the effective and able leadership provided to you, Mr. Chairman, and your illustrious predecessors.

 

The annual observance of this Day is not a merely symbolic act.  It underscores the deep concern of the international community over the fact that the grave injustice done to the Palestinians some 30 years ago has not been redressed. It is a reflection of the strong solidarity which freedom-loving people the world over feel for the Palestinian people in their struggle to realize their inalienable human and national rights.

 

This occasion equally constitutes a severe indictment of the occupying Power, Israel, for its impudent disregard of the international consensus on the question of Palestine, repeatedly affirmed through the various bodies of the United Nations, principally the Security Council and the General Assembly.

 

The occasion today brings to the fore with compelling force the miserable plight which has befallen the four million Palestinians since the late 1940s. During all these years a whole nation has been occupied, colonized and dispersed to live the life of second-class citizens or refugees. Rather than end its occupation so that the Palestinian people can exercise its inalienable right to self-determination and to establish a State of its own in Palestine, Israel keeps pursuing with ever greater rigour its policies of repression, discrimination, expansionism and creeping annexation. It continues with all its nefarious measures to annex the Holy City of Jerusalem and to obliterate its unique historic and spiritual character. Israel's expansionist policies extend to the neighbouring States, principally Lebanon, whose territorial integrity, unity, sovereignty and political independence have been seriously jeopardized.

 

The United Nations was quick to realize that the question of Palestine constituted the core of the Middle East problem. The world Organization has affirmed several times that a just and durable solution of the Middle East problem lies in the Israeli withdrawal from all the occupied territories, including Jerusalem, and in the restoration of the inalienable human and national rights of the Palestinian people, including its right to self-determination and to establish a State of its own in Palestine under the leadership of its sole, authentic representative, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

 

The same course has been endorsed by the Non-Aligned Movement, as it has by the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Israel's response to this prescription for a durable and just peace in the Middle East has been one of contemptuous defiance. It seems to be bent upon traversing the dangerous course of collision with the will of the international community. In the circumstances it becomes imperative for the Security Council to adopt forthwith measures which it is empowered to take to ensure Member States' compliance with the decisions of the United Nations. The matter admits of no hesitation, as delay carries with it the danger that the peace of the region may again be shattered at any time, with all the awesome consequences for world peace and security.

 

Finally, the States members of the Asian Group take this opportunity to reaffirm their full solidarity with the Palestinian people in its valiant and just struggle under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization to regain its inalienable rights to self-determination and national independence. We wish the Palestinian people all success in the fulfilment of its national aspirations.


Group of Eastern European States 

 

 

POLAND

H.E.Mr. Eugeniusz Wyzner,

Permanent Representative to the United Nations

 

 

Since 1977, in accordance with the provisions of a relevant General Assembly resolution, the Members of the United Nations have solemnly observed the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Today at this commemorative gathering, it is my privilege in my capacity as Chairman of the Group of Eastern European States to convey to the Palestinian people to assurances of our unfailing support for and solidarity with its heroic struggle against the forces of aggression and occupation and for self-determination, for the attainment of its inalienable rights and for the realization of its legitimate aspirations. On this Day we warmly congratulate the friendly Arab people of Palestine and wish them every success in their struggle.

 

The question of Palestine constitutes the focal point of the Middle East problem. It is the key to its solution. Indeed, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in that sensitive region cannot be established without the withdrawal of Israel from all the Arab territories, including Arab Jerusalem, which it has occupied since 1967. Without the achievement of a just solution to the problem of Palestine based on recognition of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, peace cannot endure in that important part of the world.

 

The aggravated and explosive situation that persists in the Middle East requires that we focus our attention on a conflict that threatens peace and security in the world at large. The events which have taken place since the recent session of the General Assembly clearly confirm that without a solution of this key problem there can be no tangible and meaningful progress towards a final settlement of the crisis situation in the region.

 

There is no need to emphasize that enduring peace will be impossible while the increasingly pressing problem of Palestine remains unsolved, while millions of Palestinian Arabs are exposed to enormous human suffering and continue to be deprived of their legitimate national, rights. Peace and tranquility will not materialize while the policy pursued by the Israeli authorities in the occupied territories is so oppressive to the population and while the human rights of the Arab People of Palestine are flagrantly violated and the norms of international law disregarded. The pursuit of the policy of expansionism and aggression by the Israeli authorities constitutes the stumbling-block on the road to peace in the Middle East.

 

In the view of the countries on behalf of which I am speaking such a settlement requires, inter alia, the resotration of the right of the Arab people of Palestine to self-determination, including the establishment of its own independent State.

 

Throughout the years of long discussion of the situation in the Middle East, the socialist countries of Eastern Europe have been consistently pointing out the grave implications of the policy of occupation and annexation of Arab territories pursued by the Israeli authorities. The countries of Eastern Europe have been taking a firm stand on this issue, emphasizing that lasting peace in the Middle East could be established only on the basis of respect for the legitimate rights of all States and peoples in the Middle East to live in peace and security. Ignoring the question of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people can lead only to further impasse.

 

Neglecting the role of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, can only increase the existing tensions and make the prospects for peace and stabilization more remote.

 

The seventh emergency special session, in 1980, and the general debate at the current session have shown that there is a growing awareness of those facts in the international community and that the number of countries which favour a comprehensive political settlement and support the resumption of negotiations with the direct participation of all the parties concerned, including the Palestine Liberation Organization, is constantly growing.

 

The States members of our Group believe that there is no alternative to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the region  a goal which is one of the most urgent imperatives of our time.

 

This solemn commemorative session is yet further testimony to the ever broader awakening of the conscience of the United Nations to the cause of the Arab people of Palestine. It is yet furt her proof that without a just solution of this problem there can be no lasting peaceful settlement in the Middle East.

 

In paving the way for such a solution the United Nations has a place and an important role to play. In this regard, we wish to express our profound satisfaction with and highest appreciation of the great effort and outstanding contribution made by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. Its tireless work for the attainment of those rights earns it the highest recognition.


Group of Latin American States

  

 

MEXICO

 

H.E. Mr. Porfirio Muñoz Ledo,

Permanent Representative to the United Nations

 

 

As Chairman of the Latin American Group for the month of November, I am pleased to represent the countries of my part of the world at this important commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. We come here to affirm the continuing validity of the principle of self-determination and to offer our support for the cause of the Palestinian people. We thus reaffirm our adherence to the Charter of the United Nations and our respect for the basic norms of international coexistence.

We take a fraternal attitude towards those who have been displaced from their lands and homes; towards those who over the years have been denied the exercise of their inalienable rights and the chance to establish a national State.

 

Our Organization has determined that the question of Palestine is the heart of the problem of the Middle East. It has also repeatedly maintained the right of the Palestinian people freely to decide its own future and to enjoy to the full the attributes of its own sovereignty. In recognizing those rights and contributing to their implementation in deed, not only are we upholding justice but we are promoting a settlement of the serious problem afflicting that part of the world and are thus opening the way to lasting peace.

 

Solidarity with the Palestinian people is a confirmation of the attitude that we Latin Americans have maintained ever since the inception of the United Nations. Latin America then comprised the vast majority of developing countries Members of the Organization. In large measure it was thanks to the firm determination of Latin Americans to grant decolonization the highest priority, and thanks to our solidarity with countless national liberation movements, that today the membership of this Organization has swelled to 157 independent States.

 

In the case of Palestine, as in so many others in the past, we Latin Americans have seen the mirror-image of a historic tragedy: that of domination and its aftermath of exploitation and the denial of rights. That explains our unswerving commitment to the Palestinian people and our decision to pursue the struggle until that people can fully exercise its inalienable rights as we exercise ours.

 

The Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole, authentic representative of its people, has displayed great political maturity. After years and years of unspeakable suffering and arduous battle, it has found the ways and means of acting politically, which has allowed it to take part in good-offices efforts undertaken to solve the problems besetting that part of the world. By the same token, it has shown that it shall not compromise fundamental principles and that it shall not yield one inch in the struggle to win the exercise of its inalienable rights. In this endeavour, it enjoys the full backing of Latin America.

 

For more than 30 years now, the question of Palestine has been at the forefront of our debates. With every passing year, the conviction grows stronger that the establishment of an independent Palestinian State in Palestine is an essential prerequisite for bringing peace to the Middle East. The political consensus necessary for a solution of the conflict grows from year to year, as does the number of States espousing the basic thesis maintained by the Palestinian people. And yet the settlement of so thorny a problem cannot be left solely to the passage of time: it brooks no delay if we are to reduce tensions, avert dangers and lessen the suffering of millions of human beings. The opinion of the majority of the international, community must prevail so that all States and peoples in that part of the world may live in peace and within secure borders. No one may claim for himself the right which he is unwilling to acknowledge for others.

 

On this special bay, I should like to bear witness to the fidelity of the Latin American countries, to the basic principles of our Organization. We identify with the just yearnings of the Palestinian people, akin as they are to those of our own peoples. To us, to join in the struggle for self-determination and equality in other parts of the world is to defend our own right to be respected and to live in freedom.

 

 

 


 

G. Statements by Intergovernmental and Other Organizations

with Observer Status at the United Nations

  


LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES

H.E. Mr. Clovis Maksoud,

Permanent Observer to the United Nations

 

 

On this Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian Arab People, it is important to underline the fact that the Palestinians' quest for justice and their demands for basic national and human rights have assumed a central position in the concerns and commitments of the international community. The family of nations is made up largely of peoples who wrested their independence from foreign rulers, many as recently as a few years ago. It is only natural that they should look upon the Palestinians as being among the last and staunchest fighters against colonialism, racism and Zionism, for it is evident that Zionism is the implacable adversary of the Palestinian Arab people and of the Arab nation and of all peace-loving and freedom-loving peoples of the world. It is, in addition, a colonizing movement with dangerous consequences for peace and security.

 

Let us look at the record. The establishment of Israel was achieved only through the eviction of an entire Palestinian population from its ancestral homeland. Not content with that, Israel in 1967 moved to complete the conquest of what was left of Palestine, placing a million and a half Palestinians under its direct, ruthless and oppressive military rule in violation of every convention, charter and resolution governing the administration of occupied territories. Israel is steadily colonizing and annexing those lands with illegal settlements, while waging a campaign of terror against those who resist it. Yet nothing has dimmed the light of Palestinian Arab nationalism nor dulled the cutting edge of the Palestinian struggle for liberation. Moreover, the Palestine Liberation Organization is now internationally recognized as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, in addition to the fact that it is also the framework for their national unity and peoplehood.

 

The recommendations of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People adopted by the General Assembly have been endorsed by the League of Arab States, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of African Unity, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and other States and communities. The whole world now recognizes the centrality of the Palestinian question to the Middle East equation. That equation dictates the achievement of a genuine, comprehensive and just settlement of the conflict in that part of the world. And yet, as international support for the Palestinian cause increases, Israel becomes more intransigent, indulges in wider aggression against its neighbours, seeking more devious ways to torpedo peace and authentic peace initiatives and, above all, lashes out viciously against the Palestinians regardless o'' the misery that it inflicts and the human life it violates.  

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People provides an opportunity for the world community to reiterate its solemn commitment to the restoration of Arab Palestinian rights, especially the right to self-determination, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian State in the Palestinian homeland. That is the duty the world cannot put aside, for the struggle of the Palestinians has been deeply etched on the conscience of mankind. We in the League of Arab States, of which the PLO is a full-fledged member, express our appreciation for the expressions of solidarity that have performed and will always perform a healing function in respect of the wounds that Israel seeks to inflict and provide a source of strength to support the resilience of the Palestinian people in their noble struggle, as well as being a most welcome leverage to assist the Palestinian liberation struggle in achieving the realization of its legitimate objectives of self-determination and the building of an independent State in the Palestinian homeland.

 

On this occasion, we would like to reaffirm our Arab commitment to what we consider an integral part of our national priorities and responsibilities and to harness our potential and available means in the service of the Palestinian people and the Palestine Liberation

Organization, for the noblest of causes.

 

I should like to take advantage of this occasion and opportunity to express the appreciation of the League of Arab States for the work and objectives and comprehensive task of the Committee for the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, and all the members of that Committee.

 

 


ORGANIZATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE 

 

 

H.E. Mr. Habib Chatty,

Secretary-General of the Islamic Conference

 

 

It is a very special honour for me to speak on behalf of the States of the Islamic Conference in commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

 

First of all I should like to pay a tribute to the Committee for its sincere efforts to back up resolutions and allow the Palestinian people to exercise their legitimate rights under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the sole legitimate representative of the Arab people of Palestine.

 

It goes without saying that the commemoration by the international community of this International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is a reiteration of efforts made by the United Nations to clarify aspects of the question of Palestine and the just struggle being waged by the Arab people of Palestine under the leadership of the PLO.

 

For three decades we have been seeing the tragedy afflicting the Arab people of Palestine, victim of one of the greatest Zionist and colonialist conspiracies, which has taken over its national rights and land and imposed oppression and injustice on it. Throughout those years, international Zionist forces have continued to impose their domination and occupation on the land of Palestine, devoting all their influence and possibilities to carrying out their racist and annexationist policy, to the detriment of the Palestinian people, the sole master of Palestinian land. The Zionists, which established their entity by usurping the land of Palestine, have thus demonstrated that it is the force of usurpation which they are using to carry out their annexationist and expansionist plans, to the detriment of all Arab States. The Zionist entity continues to execute its plan to Judaize Palestinian land and to change the nature of the Holy City and make it the eternal capital, of Israel.

 

The plans of the Israeli Zionist entity have in recent times been the same as in times past. The Haganah and Irgun gangs worked in the past; today various actions are carried out in a much more organized way, under the central leadership of military personnel, imposing oppression on the Arab people of Palestine with the aid of the most sophisticated weapons, provided by the United States of America.

 

The various chapters of the Palestinian tragedy continue to exist, and the Zionist entity continues to perpetrate crimes against the Arab people of Palestine both within Palestine and outside it, thus defying international law and the United Nations itself and its resolutions and decisions, which are still being adopted despite the very broad recognition by the international community of the national inalienable rights of the Arab people of Palestine, including the right to establish its own national State independently within occupied Palestine.

 

Peace depends upon justice and has always been the sole objective of the struggle waged by the Arab people of Palestine throughout the stages of its heroic struggle against racist, aggressive Zionism. The Arab people of Palestine will continue their heroic resistance to the acts of aggression of the Zionist entity, which are even more intense today and have the purpose of bringing about the genocide of the Palestinian people. The Zionists continue to strike at Palestinian camps, both by land and by sea, in Lebanon. They are trying to extend their settlements throughout Palestine and they continue to carry out oppression, arbitrary rule and terrorism, not to mention other inhuman practices, against the Arab people of Palestine.

 

Like other peoples that cherish peace, freedom and justice, we refuse to accept the establishment of a Zionist entity based on racism and religious segregation. The Arab people of Palestine continues to believe in the need for action to guarantee its legitimate rights through the implementation of the principles and resolutions of the United Nations so that they may exercise their right to self-determination.

 

The question of Palestine is the vital, the main element of what has been called the Middle East problem. No solution aimed at bringing about freedom and justice in that vital area of the world is possible without the achievement of the objectives and rights of the Palestinian people. Any solution must take account of the inalienable rights of the people of Palestine, struggling to return to its land and to recover its lands and to exercise its right to independence and sovereignty. That is its legitimate right, as has been confirmed by the General Assembly and the United Nations each and every year. That is why, on behalf of the Islamic States, we call upon the United Nations to adopt all necessary measures to allow the Arab people of Palestine to exercise its right to return to its homeland and its right to self-determination and to establish its own independent national State in Palestinian territory.

 

The Security Council must put an end to the aggression committed by the Israeli entity and its inhuman practices against the people of Palestine. The record of the Zionist entity is well known, as is that of the racist régime of Pretoria, which is today demonstrating the most inhuman practices in the history of mankind. It is high time for the international community to close its ranks and to take the measures necessary to put an end to the inhuman racist practices against the Arab people of Palestine.

 

The Islamic Conference follows with great sympathy and solidarity the heroic struggle of the Arab people of Palestine under the political leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization. It still believes that the only path to peace in the Middle East lies in total Israeli withdrawal from all the occupied territories and recognition of the right of the Arab people of Palestine to self-determination and the establishment of an independent State.

 

This International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, under the auspices of the United Nations, confirms the international community’s belief in the Palestinian people and its struggle to recover its legitimate national rights. This demonstrates once again the isolation of the Zionist entity and those who are backing it.

 

Finally, the Islamic Conference very strongly believes that the struggle of the Arab people of Palestine must culminate in victory and the achievement of its aspirations, hopes and objectives and that the Zionist entity will one day suffer total defeat.

 

 


PALESTINE LIBERATION ORGANIZATION

 

 

H.E. Mr. F. Kaddoumi, Head of the Political Department

 

Dear friends, I have the honour, at the end of this commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, and the great pleasure on behalf of my people and its representative, the Palestine Liberation Organization, to express to you our deep thanks and warmest gratitude for your messages of solidarity and for your determined support and systematic assistance to the Palestine Liberation Organization and its heroic struggle embodying the heroic battle of our people against Israeli foe, a struggle for the restoration of our inalienable rights.

 

Allow us to take this opportunity, my dear friends, to greet you and to express our deepest thanks, as well as those of our leaders, for all the messages of solidarity that have been conveyed to us, messages that are a sincere reflexion of the solidarity of your friendly countries and peoples with our Palestinian people. Allow me also to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the heroic people of Namibia and our admiration of that people and of the head of its liberation movement, the South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), Mr. Sam Njoma. We should like to thank that people and movement for the solidarity it has expressed towards our people. Mr. Njoma and SWAPO are carrying on a heroic struggle against the racist régime in South Africa, thereby offering yet further proof of their strength and their determination to win their just cause. Their struggle further attests to their determination to recover their independence and to eliminate the régime of discrimination that is the ally of the Zionist entity in Palestine. Our struggle and that of the people of Namibia are common struggles against a common enemy. The triumph of the people of Namibia will therefore also be the triumph of the Palestinian people.

 

I should also like to express my warm thanks to the people of the German Democratic Republic for the calendar they have issued on our behalf, a tangible proof of the solidarity of the people of the German Democratic Republic with our own. I should also like to extend our thanks to the Chairman of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Mr. Sarré, as well as the other members of the Committee, for their loyal devotion and for the considerable time they have devoted to ensuring the Committee's success. Their unceasing efforts have made it possible for us to hope that, thanks to the role being played by this Organization and to the contribution it is making, peoples struggling to achieve the ultimate triumph of their rights will ultimately gain a universal triumph for human rights and for the rights of peoples.

 

Finally, we must say a few words with regard to the United States of America and its allies, particularly its ally the Israeli entity. The authorities of whom we speak are isolating themselves from the international community in order to destroy and distort clear realities and facts, thereby constituting an obstacle to the restoration of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. Their attitude reflects a rejection not only of the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, but of the Charter itself, of-the principles of the Organization and of its noble goals. That rejection goes far beyond normal behaviour. It is a daily reflection of a barbaric attitude towards a hotbed of tension in the world that is constantly being refuelled. Those two régimes are implementing a policy of aggression, of intransigence and of arrogance, reaffirming day by day Israel's hegemonism over Palestinian lands and its policy of expansion with regard to those territories.

 

Israeli aggression extends to Libya and Saudi Arabia. United States military manoeuvres are exacerbating tensions in the Middle East. Such imperialist actions by the Americans and the Zionists constitute, in the final analysis, the only obstacles to all the international efforts being made to find a just solution to the Middle East problem. In addition, by those manoeuvres and practices in various areas, those two régimes are trying to eliminate and rupture any attempt to bring about international detente. Here, we are speaking of the international community and its responsibility to put an end to such manoeuvres and attempts. International co-operation must be consolidated and strengthened in order to put an end to these hotbeds of tension. We must not allow the law of the jungle to triumph. That law must not govern international relations, for that would deal a death blow to the prestige of this international Organization.

 

In conclusion, permit me to reiterate our expressions of warm thanks and great appreciation to our friends in the international community, who are ceaselessly making efforts to bring about a reign of peace, for their work on behalf of the noble goals of the United Nations Charter.

 

 


SOUTH WEST AFRICA PEOPLE'S ORGANIZATION 

 

 

Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab,

Permanent Observer to the United Nations

 

 

I cannot miss this opportunity to note the map that has just been brought into the room, which shows Palestine as it existed in 1947, and the flag, which symbolizes the aspirations and legitimate demands of the Palestinian people. It is therefore my pleasure to be speaking at this point, and I thank you, Mr. Chairman, for directing the Secretariat to bring the flag and the map into the room.

 

On this solemn occasion I have the distinct honour and privilege, on behalf of the Central Committee of SWAPO and in the name of Comrade Sam Nujoma, President of our movement, national leader of the Namibian revolution and Commander-in-Chief of the People's Liberation Army of Namibia, to convey fraternal greetings and felicitations to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and to all participants and in particular to the struggling people of Palestine under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), their sole and authentic liberation movement and representative.

Apartheid South Africa and Zionist Israel have over a period of many years adopted criminal policies and practices based on racial supremacy, colonialism and the systematic eviction of the people from their ancestral lands, exiling hundreds of thousands of them and making them foreigners in their own land.

 

Through their belligerent behaviour and consistent acts of aggression and regional hegemonic designs, the facist régimes of Pretoria and Tel Aviv have created grave challenges of a permanent war and instability in both southern Africa and the Middle East. Occupied Namibia and occupied Palestine share parallel experiences of historical and colonial manipulation and foreign occupation. It was in the fact of the persistent victimization of our peoples and the institutionalization of racism and political repression that the populations of Palestine and Namibia launched their vanguard national liberation movements to unite their peoples, to mobilize them and to guide them in the struggle for the liberation of Palestine and Namibia, our beleaguered but beloved countries.

 

The PLO of Palestine and SWAPO of Namibia have been exerting multi-dimensional pressures on the illegal occupiers of our respective countries. Both movements have earned the respect and admiration of the progressive world community for their statesmanship, political acumen and intensification of the armed struggle for liberation, self-determination and independence. The PLO and SWAPO are valued members of the international community, being, inter alia, members of the great movement of non-aligned countries.

 

With the exception of the racists and Zionists, nobody questions the legitimacy of the oppressed peoples' using all means at their disposal, including revolutionary violence – that is, armed struggle – for the restoration of their inalienable rights to freedom, self-determination and nationhood. The cause of Palestine's liberation and the establishment of a national State by the Palestinian people on their national territory is now a cause of all progressive mankind. SWAPO supports this cause and fully associates itself with the contention of the PLO that a prerequisite for the achievement of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East is recognition of the fact that the question of Palestine is at the core of the Middle East conflict and that the involvement and participation of the Palestinian people and their sole and authentic representative, the PLO, in any peace initiative or any conference aimed at finding a solution to the Palestinian problem is essential, indeed imperative.

 

We in SWAPO are convinced of the ultimate victory of the cause of the Palestinian people and the restoration of all their inalienable rights on the soil of their homeland. We are also confident that the international community will continue to render all-round material, political, diplomatic and moral assistance to the PLO for as long as the Zionists persist in their occupation of Palestine and other Arab territories.

 

It is not for lack of political objectivity or intellectual balance that each year, and perhaps each month, one or the other United Nations organ condemns either the chieftains of apartheid or those of Zionism for their blatant acts of aggression and brutality against the occupied peoples and also against the independent States of the regions concerned.

 

The South African-Israeli axis, which has now found a common friend in Washington, and the ever expanding collaboration in various field, including nuclear and military activities, as well as in the fields of mercenarism and intelligence-sharing, have created a grave situation which seriously threatens the peace and security of the world.

 

The condemnation of and attacks on those pariah States are the result of the fact that they have persistently and in a most arrogant manner defied the authority of the United Nations, flouted the resolutions of the world Organization and ignored world public opinion. It is not a sterile exercise to repeat those condemnations and attacks because, together, they reaffirm militant solidarity with and support for the struggling peoples and reassure them that they are not alone but are backed by the overwhelming majority of the peoples of the world.

 

A month ago the United Nations Council for Namibia convened a solemn meeting on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the International Day of Solidarity with the Struggling People of Namibia and their National Liberation Movement, SWAPO, an initiative that was launched in 1976 by the former President of Senegal, His Excellency Mr. Leopold Senghor, and since then has been endorsed by the General Assembly and commemorated every year by the international community. The Permanent Observer of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Comrade Zuhdi Labib Terzi, was among the participants in that meeting, as he has always been in similar meetings in the past. Today it is my pleasant duty to reciprocate that demonstration of solidarity and to extend on this solemn International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People our revolutionary greetings and warm congratulations to the delegation of the Palestine Liberation Organization and its Chairman, Comrade Arafat, both for their diplomatic achievements, which are being echoed here today, and for the intensification of the armed struggle against the common enemy.

 

In conclusion, I wish to thank you and all the members of the Committee for allowing me to address the Committee, and I should further like to congratulate the Committee under your most dynamic and wise leadership for all the efforts that are being made to hasten the day of the final liberation of Palestine. That day is inevitable, whether it comes through the bullet or the ballot. Until that day, the struggle continues.

 


H. Statements by National Liberation Movements

 

 


 

PAN AFRICANIST CONGRESS OF AZANIA

Mr. Henry E. Isaacs, Permanent Observer Representative to

the United Nations and Director of Foreign Affairs

 

On behalf of the Central Committee of the PAC of Azania and the combatants of the Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA), I wish to express solidarity with the valiant Arab people of Palestine who are struggling against zionism, racism, colonialism and imperialism, for the right to self-determination and the return of their land.

  

The solidarity of the Azanian masses with the brotherly people of Palestine is an active solidarity that is born of a similar experience in that we are both victims of settler-colonialism and racist domination. The similarity in our struggles can be seen in the fact that in 1910 Britain, under the South Africa Act, transferred power to the white settler minority without reference to or consultation with the indigenous African majority. Similarly, Britain, through the Balfour Declaration, committed itself to the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people, which was to be established at the expense of the Arab people of Palestine who were evicted from their land. Just as the Azanian people have been turned into foreigners in the land of their birth, so too have the Palestinians been converted into homeless masses, forced to live in refugee camps outside of their homeland. The Zionist entity has exploited the feelings of guilt of the western world, following the extermination of the Jews by the Nazis, but the holocaust and the persecution of the Jews are not a licence to the zionists to perpetrate genocide against the Arab people of Palestine.

 

Since 1976, the relationship between the Zionist entity and the apartheid régime which dates back to the founding of the Zionist State of Israel in 1948, has been formalized, following the visit to that country by B.J. Vorster, the former Prime Minister of the apartheid régime. Vorster concluded an agreement for multi-faceted co-operation between the two régimes, encompassing economic, diplomatic and military activities. The world was treated to the rather obscene spectacle of Vorster, a man who was interned during the Second World War because of his pro-Nazi activities, laying a wreath at the graves of victims of the Nazi persecution.

 

As the two régimes have become isolated internationally because of their apartheid and zionist policies against the Azanian and Palestinian people respectively, the two régimes have been drawn closer together. It has been established that it has been as a result of the collaboration by the Zionist state with the apartheid régime that that criminal terrorist régime today has a nuclear capability, posing grave threats not only for the African continent but for international peace and security.

 

It has been exposed also by the conservative English magazine, The Economist, that Israeli military personnel are training the 

Pretoria racist régime's defence forces in so-called "counter-insurgency". There is a remarkable similarity between the Israeli aggression against the neighbouring Arab States, for example the bomb attack on an Iraqi nuclear facility and the saturation bombing of Lebanon, and the apartheid régime's military incursions into and destabilization of the independent African States in the sub-continent.

 

Despite the threats posed to the international peace and security by the Zionist entity and the apartheid régime, the international community has been frustrated in its efforts to discipline both régimes because of the diplomatic protection afforded them by their patrons, principally the United States. Both are the custodian of imperialist interests in strategic locations of the globe, one guarding the gateway to the Gulf and the oil fields of the Middle East, the other guarding the shipping lanes around the Cape – to which military strategists in the west refer as the only effective alternative to the Suez Canal.

 

The sponsorship of these two régimes by United States-led western imperialism will not, however, prevent the Palestinian and Azanian people from achieving their liberation under the leadership of their national liberation movements. The international community must recognize that there can be no solution to the Middle East problem without recognizing the inalienable rights of the Arab people of Palestine to a homeland and the right to self-determination.

 

Long live the People of Palestine.

Long live the PLO

Long live the people of Azania

Long live the PAC

 


I.  Statements by United Nations Organs

 


SPECIAL COMMITTEE AGAINST APARTHEID

Mr. Maitama-Sule,

Chairman of the Special Committee against Apartheid

 

 

On behalf of the Special Committee against Apartheid, I wish to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for inviting us to participate in this solemn meeting to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

 

While our main purpose here today is to declare our solidarity with the peoples of Palestine in their just struggle to regain their inalienable rights, including their right to self-determination, it will also be worthwhile for us to take stock of what is happening in the Middle East and to rededicate ourselves to the task of bringing a lasting peace to that region. We in the Special Committee against Apartheid readily identify ourselves with the struggle of the Palestine people because of our shared experience as peoples struggling against the policies and practices of repression and aggression by an arrogant and oppressive régime, as well as because of our commitment to the right of all peoples, irrespective of their race or creed, to self-determination and independence.

 

The core of the problem in the Middle East is the deprivation of the Palestinian Arab people of their inalienable right to self-determination, statehood and independence. For over three decades, the Palestinian people have been rendered homeless and landless and have been subjected to immeasurable acts of discrimination and repression. They are, in fact, regarded as refugees in their own motherland, as well as in the Middle East as a whole. During this period, there has been a series of resolutions by the General Assembly and the Security Council on the Palestinian question, but so far a viable and peaceful solution seems to have eluded the international community.

 

The cause of this impasse in the Middle East has been the continuous refusal by Israel to accord to the Palestinian people what it enjoys and strenuously legitimizes under international law, in particular, under the principles of international law enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. While Israel jealously guards its independence and sovereignty with secure and inviolable borders, it strongly obstructs the regaining of those same rights by the Palestinian people.

 

To this end, Israel has continued to pursue policies that are detrimental, to the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. Taking advantage of the paralysis in the Security Council and arrogantly ignoring world public opinion, Israel has proceeded to change the character of Palestine by continuing to build illegal settlements in the occupied Arab territory. It has also annexed the Holy City of Jerusalem, contrary to the recognized norms of international law, and has continued to take measures in the occupied territories in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 relating to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and in open defiance of resolutions and decisions of the United Nations.

 

The international community has ultimately come to realize that the question of Palestine is at the heart of the Middle East problem and that no lasting peace can be achieved in that region unless the claim of the Palestinian people to their inalienable rights is granted and Israel withdraws to its pre-1967 boundaries. In addition, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which has been recognized by the United Nations as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, must be part and parcel of the peace process in the Middle East.  

The Palestinian people should be enabled to exercise their right to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty without external interference. They should be enabled to return to their homes and property, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 194 (III) and Security Council resolution 237 (1967).

 

In this regard, it would be pertinent to recall the seventh emergency special session of the General. Assembly in July 1980, which strongly endorsed the right of the Palestinian people to establish their own independent sovereign State. It is imperative that the PLO, as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, should be able to participate, on an equal footing and on the basis of General Assembly resolutions 3236 (XXIX) and 3375 (XXX), in all efforts devoted to the Middle East problem under the auspices of the United Nations. In order to achieve a lasting peace in the Middle East, it is essential that Israel withdraw from all occupied territories including Jerusalem. It should also be noted that the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories aggravate the conflict and render a peaceful, negotiated solution more difficult.

 

This brings us to the deplorable state of collaboration between Israel and South Africa. The Special Committee against Apartheid has repeatedly condemned Israel's collaboration with the South African racist régime in defiance of relevant resolutions of the United Nations. That collaboration, in the economic, financial, commercial, cultural, sports, military and nuclear fields, encourages the South African régime to persist in its criminal policy of apartheid and constitutes an obstacle to international efforts to eradicate that evil policy.

 

It is regrettable that the Security Council has not acted on the recommendations of the Committee on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People that have repeatedly been brought to its attention. Security Council action would facilitate the creation of the conditions necessary to lead to a just and lasting peace in the region. The Council should again be urged to consider the matter urgently with a view to taking action towards a peaceful solution of the Palestinian problem.

 

The Special Committee against Apartheid and the Committee on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People have similar objectives, namely, to enable the peoples concerned to exercise their right to self-determination. The Special Committee against Apartheid once more pledges its unwavering support to the Committee on Palestinian Rights in the discharge of its mandate.

 

On behalf of the Special Committee against Apartheid, I express our deep sense of solidarity with the Palestinian people, who have been inhumanly displaced and made stateless.

 

 


 

UNITED NATIONS COUNCIL FOR NAMIBIA

Mr. Lusaka, President of the United Nations Council for Namibia 

 

 

On behalf of the United Nations Council for Namibia, I wish to express our thanks for the invitation that the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People has extended to us to commemorate together the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

 

The United Nations Council for Namibia attaches great importance to the observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, partly as a result of its own experience in regard to the question of Namibia and partly because we see in the ignoring of the rights of the Palestinian people another example of a situation in which the overwhelming view of the international community is arrogantly ignored by a single country, Israel.

 

With regard to the Palestinian people, the view of the international community has been expressed by a wide consensus of the General Assembly and the Security Council. Furthermore, Israel, which is resisting this consensus, is being assisted by influential supporters that are themselves Members of the United Nations.

 

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is a further manifestation of the dedication and commitment of the United Nations to support the cause of self-determination, freedom and independence for the Palestinian people. The General Assembly and the Security Council by their resolutions in support of the cause of the Palestinian people have tried and continue to try to contribute significantly to the establishment of real peace and security in the Middle East in general and in Palestine in particular. It is therefore a matter of great disappointment to note that the United Nations calls for peace in the area have been deliberately frustrated by Israel and its supporters.

 

A consensus of over 100 countries in the General Assembly represents a carefully considered position that has been synthesized from the views of many countries. The consensus which we have now and which has required several years to build takes into account the interests of the parties involved. It should not be ignored.

 

The situation affecting the rights of the Palestinian people has become more critical and continues to pose a grave threat to international peace and security. We in the Council for Namibia commend the work programme developed in response to this situation by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People under the dynamic and dedicated chairmanship of my friend and colleague Ambassador Sarré of the Republic of Senegal.

  

The people of Palestine are determined to claim their legitimate rights to self-determination and independence. The Palestine Liberation Organization which is the sole representative of the Palestinian people, has continued to wage a relentless struggle to free the Palestinians from occupation and oppression. The Palestinian people are resolved to regain their inalienable rights not only to self-determination and independence but also to a national homeland. The Palestine Liberation Organization continues to gain the respect and support of the international community. Any peaceful negotiations on the question of Palestine can be carried out only with the full and equal participation of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

 

The United Nations Council for Namibia will not be found wanting in its support for this struggle of the Palestinian people under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization. It will continue to press for the restoration of the inalienable rights of both the Palestinian people and the Namibian people.

 


J.  Statements by Invited Speakers

 


GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE

  

 

Mr. Seibt, President 

  

 

As everyone here knows, solidarity with the Arab people of Palestine is a long-standing tradition among the people of the German Democratic Republic. It is part and parcel of the broad and deeply rooted solidarity movement, which includes all strata of my country's population.

 

How great our sympathy has always been for the Palestinian people in their suffering is reflected in the following facts. Apart from the manifold political and diplomatic activities of the German Democratic Republic in favour of the just struggle of the Palestinian people, my country has extended comprehensive material support. Every year Palestinian children spend their vacation in German Democratic Republic holiday camps. Wounded Palestine Liberation Organization fighters and other sick persons are given treatment and regain health and strength at medical facilities of my country.

 

For eight years now the Palestine Liberation Organization has been represented in the German Democratic Republic capital by a diplomatic mission. A cultural agreement with that organization provides for exhibitions, film festivals and other events, which have met with wide public acclaim.

 

At this very moment when we are assembled here at the United Nations Headquarters on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, a commemorative meeting is also taking place in my country. It is an expression of the full support of the German Democratic Republic for the just struggle of the Arab people of Palestine and of my country's deep commitment to the comprehensive and multifaceted work of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.

 

All our people are gravely alarmed by the fact that American circles allied with the Israeli aggressor are constantly aggravating the situation in the Middle East. The manoeuvres held in the Arab region by the so-called rapid deployment force indicate how justified that concern is. Such manoeuvres are clearly directed against the progressive régimes of that region. As has become obvious to everybody, they are in the first place designed to bring the Arab peoples again under the heel of United States imperialism, particularly that of the oil monopolies.

 

I believe that it is appropriate to recall here the words of Leonid Brezhnev, who said that one ill-considered step would suffice "to cause the fire of war to consume the entire Middle East. No one knows how far sparks from this fire can range".

 

In our opinion, the settlement of the Palestine question is the most important element of a just and lasting solution of the Middle East issue. Now, as before, the people of the German Democratic Republic support the rights of the Palestinian people, which have repeatedly been endorsed by the United Nations, including their right of return and of self-determination and the right to establish their own State. We regard the Soviet proposal to convene an international peace conference on the Middle East as a timely initiative to bring about, through the sincere co-operation of all interested parties, the justice to the Palestinian people of which they have been deprived for decades, as a result of imperialist machinations.

 

Nobody, not even the Israeli Government, can today ignore the fact that the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole and authentic representative of the Arab people of Palestine. That fact has been duly recognized by the United Nations.

 

We also hold the view that the PLO, as the official representative of the Palestinian people, is similarly entitled to take its rightful place in all international forums and to participate on an equal footing in all negotiations related to a settlement in the Middle East issue.

 

You are all well aware of how important it is to solve the Middle East question and to achieve a just peace in that region. Such a settlement would have a stabilizing effect for the elimination of conflicts in other parts of the world as well and would assist in the maintenance and safeguarding of international peace.

 

In this respect, the initiative to convene an international peace conference on the Middle East and resolution ES-7/2 adopted at the General Assembly's seventh emergency special session, on Palestine, as well as other relevant resolutions of the Security Council and General Assembly, provide a solid basis for future activities aimed at achieving a just solution to this major issue.

 

In the future, we shall continue to consider it our duty to extend our help and solidarity to the sorely afflicted Palestinian people in their heroic struggle for the implementation of their rights. At the request of the Special Committee, we have designed a calendar for 1982 dedicated to the aspirations and the struggle of the Arab people of Palestine, a copy of which I would like to present to you, Mr. Chairman.

 

 


 

INTERNATIONAL PROGRESS ORGANIZATION

 

 

Mr. Robert W. Thabit 

  

 

The International Progress Organization, with its Headquarters in Vienna, Austria, has developed its activities for the promotion of peaceful co-existence and international understanding through broadening the horizon of national self-confidence and national tradition. The full realization of human rights constitutes therefore, one of the main concerns of our Organization.

 

One of our Organization's principal objectives, since its formation, has been the achievement of a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. Recognizing that the issue of Palestine, lies at the core and heart of any just and comprehensive peace in the area, our Organization held an International Conference one year ago where experts from around the world in international law and human rights discussed the "Legal Aspects of the Palestine Problem, with Special Regard to the Question of Jerusalem", a very salutory experience for all concerned.

 

On this day of solidarity with the Palestine people, we are proud to join with the other speakers and representatives of other non-governmental, organizations and wish to assure our Palestinian brothers and sisters that we shall not falter in our support, no matter how long it takes, until their rights are acknowledged and consecrated in a free and independent state on Palestinian territory.

 

Frankly, we were encouraged that an Arab Plan for Peace in the Middle East (as proposed by Amir Fahd Bin Saud) was a dramatic and courageous act and, we welcomed it as a possible alternative to the Camp David Accords, which is so inadequate and negative that assures its ultimate demise. The world is awaiting an Arab Peace Plan as an alternative to Camp David and we hope that one will be submitted soon, so that real progress can be made towards that just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

 

Unfortunately, as each new passes and the Palestinians remain under Israeli occupation, we see new and inventive measures that Israel is invoking against the thousands of innocent Palestinians who only yearn for the right to live in peace in their own State in Palestine. I speak especially of the Sharon Plan for neutralization of Palestinian rights in occupied Palestine. The Sharon Plan would "unilaterally impose" only partial autonomy on the Palestinians, who would be expected to participate in Israeli-supported local administration of civil affairs, as a prelude to an Israeli-Egyptian agreement on a five-year autonomy plan. This empty Palestinian "self-rule" plan, would be in place of the current ruling military government in the occupied territories; replaced by ruling Israeli "civilian" administrators who would answer directly to Sharon. Internal security would not be conducted by the Palestinians but would continue to be administered by the Israeli military authorities. Command of the Israeli security forces would merely pass from the military governor of the occupied territories to regular Israeli army regional commanders.

 

The world is advised that certain functions will be carried out by Israeli civilians. Of course, all of them will be acting under the military government. The military government will not be replaced by Israeli civilians. Israel's Cabinet Secretary Aryeh Naor told the Washington Post, which later reported, that Sharon's plan, according to defense ministry sources, is intended to provide for an Israeli civilian administrator of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to coordinate (Palestinian) civil affairs with various Israeli government ministries so as to build an "eretz" infra-structure, subject to Israeli control and domination.

 

We have also learned recently that Palestinian towns and villages have been barred from receiving funds from a joint Jordanian-PLO committee to finance development projects and pay routine salaries. As a result, all development projects such as schools, roads, sewage and co-operatives have been halted. The Palestinian municipalities have now become, unfortunately, 100 per cent economically dependent on Israel.

 

Meanwhile, the occupied territories are being systematically tied into Israel's electricity grid. The last vestige of an independent Palestinian-owned energy-source, the East Jerusalem Electricity Company, and which has been restricted by Israel from modernizing its plan to remain competitive, is being forced to come under Israeli government control. They are still fighting the takeover in Israeli courts.

 

We deplore, in the so-called "only democracy in the Middle East", the suppression of the peaceful, protests of Palestinian students, resulting in the periodic closing of Bir Zeit University. This Arab university is the only one that the Palestinians can study in as free Palestinians with an Arab perspective. Why do the military and occupying authorities continually throttle the free expression of the Palestinians? Are they afraid that the world will see and hear that in Israel's democracy the Palestinians protest; and that the people overwhelmingly reject "autonomy Israeli-style"? Why do they not allow freedom of expression for the Palestinians? It is clear that they are afraid that they could not restrain the overwhelming majority of the Palestinians who call upon America and Israel to recognize the PLO as their spokesman and to negotiate a just and comprehensive peace in the area through the PLO.

 

International Peace, especially in the Middle East, is threatened by this problem which has been crying in the halls of the United Nations, since 1948, for a just solution. Year after year, the problem is made more complex by new facts initiated by Israel. When will this problem be resolved? When will Israel accede to the principles of international law and justice and recognize the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and acknowledge their right to self-determination and a state of their own? We call upon Israel to reverse its policies while they still can and avoid solutions by other than peaceful means, through negotiations with the PLO.

 

Finally, we again affirm our Organization's support for the just and lawful rights of the Palestinian people and assure them of our continued support, no matter how long it takes. We pray that next Year we can all celebrate the solution of this major international problem at a conference to be held in a free Arab Jerusalem.

—–


2019-03-12T19:37:38-04:00

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