Palestine question – UN African Meeting (Windhoek) – Press release

UNITED NATIONS AFRICAN MEETING IN SUPPORT OF

INALIENABLE RIGHTS OF PALESTINIAN PEOPLE —

TO BE HELD FROM 20 TO 22 APRIL — OPENS IN WINDHOEK

Foreign Minister of Namibia Addresses Meeting

(Received from a UN Information Officer.)

WINDHOEK, 20 April — "In spite of all those crimes and deceptions committed against  them, the Palestinians, like  Namibians, have stood  firm for a just cause and gained many committed  friends on their side", Theo-Ben Gurirab, Minister for Foreign Affairs of  Namibia, told participants at  the United Nations African Meeting  in support of the Inalienable Rights of  the Palestinian  People today in Windhoek.  He expressed his conviction that the final settlement  issues "will be resolved  amicably for  all the interested parties".

Representatives of the Government of Namibia and other governments of the region, academics, media representatives and non-governmental  organizations met today for the Meeting at the Safari Court Hotel  Conference Centre in Windhoek.   In the coming days, they will discuss the current situation concerning the question of  Palestine and how Africa can contribute to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.  The two-day meeting  will include presentations by experts from the region, other countries, including the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as well as representatives of Governments, inter-governmental organizations, United Nations bodies and agencies and non-governmental organizations.

"At the end of the First World War,  Palestine and Namibia became Mandated Territories …  what was meant  then as a trust for political  development … turned  into the same brutal  nightmares and shameful betrayals for both peoples", Mr. Gurirab said  in his opening statement.   "It is  with surging emotions that  I welcome  members of  the Palestinian  delegation …  to an independent and democratic Republic of Namibia".

Chinmaya Gharekhan,  United Nations  Special Coordinator  in the  Occupied Territories, delivering a message  from United  Nations  Secretary-General Kofi Annan, pointed out that this was the first meeting in support  of the inalienable  rights of  the Palestinian  people  to  take place  in southern Africa,   asserting that the  occasion would provide an  opportunity for the countries of  the region  to contribute  to the debate on the question  of Palestine and  to explore ways in which their experience might help advance the search for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

Ever since the beginning  of the current Middle  East process, the  United Nations'  efforts have  focused on developing infrastructure, enhancing institutional capacity and,   most importantly, improving the living conditions of the Palestinian people, the message said.  The Secretary-General issued a renewed appeal to  international donors  to pledge support for  the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the  Near  East.  Its precarious  financial situation  notwithstanding, the Agency continued to provide education, health  care and relief to millions of  refugees and to promote the economic and social development of the Palestinian  territories.  All parties  involved in  the peace process were urged to reinvigorate their efforts to bring the permanent status negotiations back on track, and to strive to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement, based  on principles enshrined  in Security  Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) and reflected in the Oslo accords.

Ibra Deguène Ka, Chairman of  the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the  Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, cautioned that Israel's  continued illegal  decisions on the question of Palestine constituted a flagrant violation of the spirit and letter of the  agreements already signed by the  two parties.  He expressed  the hope that the Meeting would assist in pushing Israel to  conform to international humanitarian law

and to cease immediately  all illegal measures it  has taken in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

Suleiman Al-Najab, Member of  the  Executive Committee  of the  Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Special Envoy of  Yasser Arafat, Chairman  of the  Executive  Committee  of the PLO and President  of  the Palestinian Authority, said  the ultra-right  forces in  Israel were leading the peace process to a  dead-end and threatened it with  collapse.   He  expressed confidence that the Meeting would provide new ideas to move forward in the face of current difficulties at a time when the Palestinian Central Council was about to convene  a special  meeting to  discuss and adopt  resolutions based on the current situation.

The  opening session continued  with  statements  by  representatives  of governments, intergovernmental organizations and United Nations agencies.  Abdul  Samad  Minty,  Deputy  Director-General for Multilateral Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs of  South Africa, on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement observed that despite long-standing and traditional support for a solution to the question of Palestine in conformity with the United Nations Charter and resolutions, it was extremely disappointing that almost four decades later, the self-determination of the  Palestinian people was yet to be attained.  It was incumbent upon the Israeli side to ensure that the Wye River Memorandum of  October 1998, under which the two sides had agreed  to "immediately  resume the permanent status negotiations on an  accelerated basis and make a  determined effort to  achieve the mutual goal of  reaching an agreement by 4 May 1999", was implemented.

Cheng Wenju, Counsellor, Embassy of China, asserted that the lengthy stalemate of the  Middle East peace process would not only endanger the peace and stability of the region, but would also bring negative impact upon  the peace and development of the whole world.   He said the relevant United  Nations  resolutions  on the question of the Middle East, the principle of land for peace and the earnest implementation of the concluded agreements and  understandings  by all parties  concerned  was the  key  to achieving a breakthrough in the deadlocked negotiations.

The agreements aiming at a peaceful settlement in Palestine — set to expire on 4 May — were limited by their timeframe, and many of the core issues rising from  the needs and  collective rights of the Palestinian people were left to the elusive final  status talks, noted Joseph  Schechla, Office of the High  Commissioner for Human Rights in Gaza.  The  Palestinian Authority, for its part, had requested the assistance  of the Office of  the High  Commissioner for Human  Rights as a part of its efforts to institutionalize the  PLO's formal commitments to internationally accepted norms and principles of human  rights.    He said  further assistance  was needed  to ensure  that other  States applied  relevant  international human rights and humanitarian law in the Palestinian Territory.

The delegation of  the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the  Palestinian People consists, apart  from its Chairman, Ibra Deguène Ka, of Ravan Farhadi, Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations  and  Vice-Chairman of the Committee, George Saliba, Permanent Representative of Malta to the United Nations and  Rapporteur of the Committee, Martin Andjaba, Permanent Representative of Namibia to the United Nations, and Nasser Al-Kidwa, Permanent Observer  for Palestine for the United Nations, who are all assisting in the work of the Meeting.

The Meeting will continue this afternoon with the first plenary session focusing on  the theme:  "Promoting the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people — a key to peace  in the Middle East".  After presentations by six speakers, participants will discuss the theme.

Plenary sessions on Wednesday and  Thursday will  focus on  "The role  of Africa in supporting the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people" and "Celebrating the new  millennium in a global vision of peace and reconciliation – the Bethlehem 2000 Project of the Palestinian Authority".  A document containing the most important  points raised at the  Meeting will be presented at the closing session.

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* Reissued to correct symbol of press release. It had been previously issued as PAL/1870.

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