A/32/PV.81 General Assembly

Before we resume our debate on item 31 of the agenda, I should like, on behalf of all the members of the General Assembly, to extend to the Government and people of India our deepest sympathy for the disaster caused by the devastating cyclone and tidal wave which have just battered the south-east coast of India. I am sure that every nation represented here will wish to associate itselfwith that message and respond promptly and generously to any request for help in what is reported to be the worst natural disaster in India in this century.

My delegation has always viewed the long-standing problem of the Middle East with deep sympathy and concern. The situation in an area that is troubled by insecurity and bloodshed has stood as a challenge to the United Nations and all the peace-loving people of the -world. Even though a decade has elapsed since the adoption of resolution 242 (1967) by the Security Council, that resolution has not brought peace in the region and has remained ineffective. During the past decade the region has seen further violence and bloodshed. The people of the region have remained insecure with respect to their families and homes. Worse has been the plight ofthe people upr· loted from their soil and living without a roof. 3. For many years now the United Nations has been debating the issues and adopting new resolutions. While the years have rolled by, the people, the most seriously affected people of the Middle East, have received neither peace and security nor a home, in spite of the piles of documents devoted to the solution of their problem. 4. My delegation has repeated many times that the implementation of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) would be in the interest of all the parties NEW YORK concerned. Those resolutions, while recognizing the right of Israel to live within secure and recognized boundaries, provide for its withdrawal from the land which it occupies. It is in the interest of all that the matter should be solved by negotiation in an atmosphere of trust and confidence. The history of the last decade has shown clearly that the problem cannotbe solved by blood and iron alone. 5. My delegation appreciates the joint statement issued on 1 October 1977 by the two Co-Chairmen of the Geneva Peace Conference on the Middle East, the Soviet Union and the United States, and also the attempts made by them to convene the Conference. We have also perused with great interest and hope the report of the Secretary-General [A/32/24o-S/12417 and Add1]. The Secretary-General is to be commended for his valuable and painstaking efforts to bring about a resumption of the negotiations on the Middle East during his visit to the region in February 1977. 6. Nepal has always held the view that the problem of the Middle East cannot be solved without a just and equitable settlement of the question of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. We- highly appreciate the realistic approach taken by the President of the United States, Mr. Carter, and his Administration regarding the rights of the Palestinian people. 7. We sincerely welcome the genuine desire for peace demonstrated by Egyptian President Anwar EI-Sadat in his courageous visit to Israel from 19 to 21 November. Now it is for the leaders of Israel to reciprocate by demonstrating similar courage and magnanimity. What is needed in the Middle East is the building of bridges that will lead to a long and lasting peace for all concerned. The process of building mutual trust and confidence, which requires the removal of the tragic and bitter memories of the past and the healing of many deep wounds, is indeed not so easy to achieve, but it would be in the interest of a long and durable peace for all. If the spirit of peace and coexistence emphasized by both the Egyptian and the Israeli leader during the aforementioned visit could pervade the proposed Peace Conference on the Middle East and materialize in concrete action, the Conference would be bound to succeed. What is required is a broad, sympathetic and generous attitude on the part of all concerned, so that the settlement will be in the interest of all, including the Palestinian people. My delegation sincerely urges the early convening of the Middle East Peace Conference and hopes for its complete success.

A momentous and historic event has taken place in the Middle East. Only a few days ago, all of us here watched spellbound as old suspicions and barriers were broken down, as rhetoric gave way to dialogue, and the limits ofwhat seemed possible were suddenly expanded A/32/PV.81 9. Let us all be realists here. Long and perhaps arduous negotiations lie ahead before all the significant issues of the 3D-year old conflict in the Middle East are resolved. But the first step has been taken-indeed, more than a step. It is an act of courage and imagination on both sides, and a challenge that has transcended the rivalries and manoeu- vrings of the past to create a new vista that promises th~ fIrst real hope for peace in our region. 10. It was perhaps too much to hope that this Assembly would take note of the events in Jerusalem and encourage all the parties to the conflict to get together, open a , dialogue and ,negotiate an end to the war. But perhaps for once, it might at least have refrained from erecting, as is its wont, additional barriers to the prospects for peace. Yet this forum, ostensibly dedicated to peace and security, reverberates once again with bitterness and vituperation, and the Assembly is asked to consider a draft resolution {A/32/L.38 and Add.I] of condemnation which ignores the dramatic events in Jerusalem as though they never had been. This Assembly can hardly be accused of encouraging the process of negotiations in order to move the Middle East towards peace. But at least let it desist at this crucial turning-point in history from placing obstacles such as this draft resolution on the path to peace. 11. There has never been a time when debates such as this resounded with a more hollow ring, when rhetoric and one-sided condemnations have been more sterile or unpro- ductive. At this point in history there should be only one criterion for any proceedings in this chamber: do they advance the cause of peace? By that standard, the present debate, as well as the so-called Palestine debate due to begin next week, and the 20 or more discriminatory anti-Israeli resolutions which will preoccupy this Assembly until the end of its present session are unconscionable. Their only contribution will be to poison the atmosphere and to perform a grave disservice both to the current peace efforts and to the standiIig ofthe United Nations itself. 12. Time and again I have cited Dag Hammarskjold's wise injunction: "You can condemn a State or you can negotiate with it, but you cannot do both''. If the Assembly once again chooses condemnations over negotiations, it will merely testify to 'its own irrelevance. In Jerusalem last weekend, the process of peace-making was dramatically advanced. If you will not encourage that process, at least let it move forward without the interference of this body. 13. I shall not reply to any of the unbridled attacks directed against Isuel in this debate other than to note that they merely COnIIrm Israel's legitimate concern for its security and the security of its citizens. 14. Let me re-echo the call of Prime Minister Begin to all our neighbours to reject warmongering and hate, to seize the opportunity offered by the courageous initiative taken 16. Israel is fIrmly committed to the process of negotia- tion on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) in order to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. In these negotiations, at Geneva or elsewhere, everything must be negotiable, as Prime Minister Begin re-emphasized this week. 17. Let us therefore waste no more time on recriminations and accusations. Let us rather reject fanaticism and hatred and give peace a chance. We in the Middle East have had enough of war. We accept the challenge for peace. We want to leave wars behind and are prepared to set out on what we trust, too, will be the fifth and fmal struggle, the struggle for peace. 18. A great step has been taken. In the words ofPresident EI-Sadat in his message of thanks to President Katzir, sent on the day that this very debate opened: "The audacious step taken by us amounts to an historical turning-point in the destiny of our region, whose security and stability are closely linked with the security, stability and welfare of the whole world." 19. We are living through historic and momentous hours which few of us would have thought credible but two weeks ago. Let this Assembly rise to the occasion. It is incumbent upon this world Organization and upon the diplomatic community not to be ieft behind, not to indulge in the same worn-out cliches that have marked our debates in the past, but to rise to the challenge, to encourage the extension of the direct and constructive dialogue begun between the President of Egypt and the Prime Minister of Israel, to all our neighbours, and to for~e ahead in the spirit ofJerusalem, the spirit of peace.

Before entering into the examination of the item on the agenda, I wish to express my delegatiOiI's deep sorrow and sincere sympathy to the delegation of India for the tragic loss of life and the extensive material destruction caused by the recent calam- ity in their country. May I ask that our condolences be conveyed to all those who suffered losses in the catastro- phe? 21. We also address the same feelings of sympathy to the delegation of Argentina for the victims of the earthquakes in their country. 22. The Foreign Minister of Greece, referring to the problem of the Middle East in his intervention during the general debate, said the following: "We continue to follow with great attention the development of the situation in the Middle East. For our 23. The statement I have just read seems to be very pertinent, indeed, to the actual situation in the area. It indicates also, in a clear manner, the principles on which Greece's position on the problem of the Middle East is based and which I may be permitted to sum up as follows: first, the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territories by the use of military force; secondly, the withdrawal by Israel from all the Arab territories it occupied in June 1967; thirdly, the recognition of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all States in the region, including Israel, as well as the right of those States to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries; fourthly, the recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination and to a national homeland, and fifthly, support for all efforts aiming at negotiations designed to bring about a just and durable solution in the Middle East and specifically at the reconvening of the Geneva Peace Conference with the participation of all the interested parties. 24. I should like to recall that Greece voted in favour of resolutions 3375 (XXX) and 3376 (XXX) and subsequent resolutions in which the General Assembly requested that the Palestine Liberation Organization [PLO] should be invited to participate in all efforts, deliberations and conferences on the Middle East held under the auspices of the United Nations. 25. We are convinced that, for any negotiating effort to be genuine and promising, it must include all the parties concerned on an equal footing. For how else car; peace be secured? 26. In the context of the quest for peace through negotiations, we attach great importance to the successful outcome-if political wisdom is to prevail-of the recent initiative taken by President EI-Sadat of Egypt. We sincerely hope that it will help bring about what is urgently needed in the troubled area for the attainment of peace- namely, a comprehensive settlement of the problem of the Middle East in accordance with the Charter and the relevant United Nations resolutions.

Before we address ourselves to the present agenda item, my delegation, too, would like to express its sympathy to the delegation of India in connexion with the natural disaster which has been visited upon India, and also to the delegation of Argentina in connexion with the loss of life occasioned by the earthquake in that country. 29. The first prerequisite for solving this extremely impor- tant problem is to eliminate the main obstacles to peace and to remove the root-causes of the conflict in the Middle East, which have brought bloody warfare and suffering to the peoples of the region. 30. The delegation of the Soviet Ukraine has repeatedly set forth its consistent position of principle on tr1s question, emphasizing that the main causes of the failure to achieve a settlement of the conflict are Israel's continuing unlawful occupation of Arab territories, Israel's refusal to' restore these territories to their rightful owners-the Arab peoples-and Israel's rejection of a just settlement of the Palestinian problem. All of us-or at least the overwhelming majority of us-are convinced that lasting peace and tranquillity in the Middle East can be achieved only in conditions of a comprehensive settlement and that the foundation of a just and lasting peace in the region must be Israel's withdrawal from the occupied territories and the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Arab people of Palestine. Peace is incompatible with aggression and the seizure of other peoples'iands. Accordingly, the Ukrainian SSR has consistently called for the unconditional return of all the Arab lands occupied by Israel since 1967. 31. Nor can peace be lasting if its terms are such as to ignore, flout or deny the vital interests or rights of any of the States or peoples of the region. 32. That is applicable equally to all the ~oples and States in the Middle East; boUI the Arab peoples and the Israelis have equal rights to peace and security, national indepen- dence, statehood, sovereignty and territorial integrity. 33. There can be no doubt that this is applicable first and foremost to the Arab people of Palestine, who as a result of the Israeli aggression continues to be deprived of their inalienable rights .and have been turned into a people in exile. We therefore fully support the courageous struggle of the Palestinian people for the exercise of their lawful rights, including the right to establish their own State. 34. The just struggle of the Palestinians for the exercise of their inalienable rights enjoys ever growing support on the part ofworld opinion and the United Nations. That support is reflected in the res'Jlutions adopted by the United Nations General Assembly at previous sessions. 35. A settlement of the Middle East problem and the establishment of a just and lasting peace are impossible without recognition of the inalienable rights of the Pales- tinian people and the practical exercise of those rights by that people. 36. We should like to see peace and prosperity brought to the long-suffering land of the Middle East as soon as 37. Hence, if Israel wants pea~e and a settlement, it must end its aggressive, expansionist policy and comply wEh the . pertinent decisions of the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council. If Israel continues to ignore the question of a settlement on the Middle East problem, such a dangerous policy can have most serious effects on the international atmosphere. 38. The Ukrainian SSR is a convinced partisan of resolving the key aspects of the Middle East problem by taking account of the interests of all those involved in the conflict. 39. Appropriate ~nternational machinery-~he Geneva Peace Conference-has already been created for engaging in a concrete consideratior: of all the Middle East problems and reaching a comprehensive settlement. It is high time that that machinery was set in motion. 40. The Soviet Union has put forward for the considera- tion of participants in the Geneva Conference a proposal for the agenda of the ConferenceI including withdrawal of Israeli troops from all the Arab territories occupied in 1967; the exercise of the inalienable rig.~ts of the Arab people of Palestine, including its right to self-determination and the establishment of its own State; tht~ exercise of the right to an independent existence and security on the part of all States directly involved in the conflict-the Arab States that are Israel's neighbours, on the one hand, and the State of Israel. on the other, and the provision of appropriate international guarantees to them; and an end to the state of war existing between the relevant Arab countries and Israel. These key components of a settlement, which are interconnected, enjoy the support of the over- whelming majority of the Members of the United Nations and world opinion. 4 L The delegation of the Ukrainian SSR favours the convening of the Geneva Cunference forthWith, without any further delay. 41. The delegativn of the Soviet Ukraine would like also to emphasize that an inalienable and iIltegral element must be the equal participation in the work of the Geneva Conference by all parties directly interested and involved in S(I2208. 43. The General Assembly must bend every effort to ensure that the present situation of "no war, no peace" is not frozen, since it bears the seeds of another armed conflict. The Assembly must do everything possible to foster an early political settlement. That would be in the interests of all the peoples of the Middle East and in the interest of international peace and security.

The United Nations General Assembly has for a long time been dealing with the important and burning question of the Middle East. As we have found out in the course of the debates that have taken place in the past few years in the United Nations, the enemies and false friends of the Arab peoples have constantly advocated all sorts of misleading ideas to create the illusion that the situudon in the Middle East can gradually be improved. At present, they are redoubling their efforts to show that the tension and dangers of war are diminishing and to try to convince people that even at this moment conditions are being established for reaching a negotiated solution of the problem by peaceful, political and diplomatic means. 45. But the facts contradict these fabrications. The situa- 'lOn in the Middle East ~ontinues to be dangerous and explosive and it is becoming increasingly complex. Words on peace abound, but we do not see the slightest sign of peace or true stability appearing on the horizon. The road tGwards a just and lasting solution of the problem of the Middle East is becoming increasingly tortuous and more difficult and, in particular, the prospects for re-establishing all the national rights of the Palestinian people are growing more and more bleak. 46. The facts also prove that neither the causes nor the consequences of the grave events that have taken place thus far in the Middle East have been eliminated nor are they about to be eliminated; on the contrary, we note that the consequences of those events weigh even more heavily on the shoulders of the Arab peoples and that the factors that provoked those events are still doing serious damage to the legitimate interests and national rights of those peoples as well as the possibilities for achieving a true solution of the problem of the Middle East. 17. The Middle East is still an area of tension and war because of the imperialist-Zionist aggression against the peoplfS and countries of the Arab world, an aggression which has continued without interruption for three decades, and because of the bitter rivalry between the two imperialist super-Powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, in their efforts to establish their hegemony and to divide the region into spheres of influence. 48. The Zionist-Israeli aggressors have not only not re- nounced their old aggressive and expansionist designs in the 49. The aggressive and expansionist activities of the two imperialist super-Powers, the United States of America and the Soviet Union, constitute a constant and growing danger for the Arab peoples. At present, the interests and hegemonic plans of the two super-Powers are more and more clashing and coming into conflict in the Middle East. The two imperialist super-Powers are carrying out a neck-and-neck rivalry and are interfering in the affairs of the Middle East in order to be able to take over the enormous Arab oil wealth and to establish their control over that strategic region, so as to have a spring-board for their aggressive designs It is for those and many other similar reasons that the two imperialist super-Powers are not in any way interested in restoring peace and stability in the Middle East but prefer to keep alive as long as possible the tension and conflict in the area in order to use it to continue their military and economic penetration of the region. 50. The plots of the two imperialist super-Powers to perpetuate the situation of "no peace, no war" in the Middle East are known to all of us, as are also their efforts to encourage the aggressive policies of the Israeli Zionists and to sabotage the struggle of the Arab peoples to liberate the occupied territories and to restore to the Palestinian people their national rights in their homeland. 51. The American imperialists constantly give all their assistance and political, economic and military support to the Israeli Zionists and incite and support their aggressive activities and plans. The American imperialists are also strengthening the military potential of Israel and encour- aging its preparations for war because it is their constant practice to foment and to unleash small wars and local acts of aggression to achieve bit by bit their global strategy of world-wide aggression. 52. The same applies to the Soviet social-imperialists, who call themselves friends of the Arab peoples and pretend that they are helping them, while in reality they are carrying out a basically anti-Arab policy and thus encouraging the aggressive acts and annexationist claims of the Israeli Zionists. The social-imperialist Soviet Union has helped and continues directly and immensely to help the Israeli 54. The social-imperialists, on the other hand, worried at the fact that for some time it has been the American imperialists that have been dictating their plans to the Middle East, are therefore trying at all costs to recoup their losses, to re-establish their positions and to extend their influence. To achieve that they have concentrated all their efforts on propagating the idea that it is only with the assistance of the Soviet Union and following its policies that the Arab peoples will have a single chance of achieving their national rights through talks and a conference such as the Geneva Peace Conference. 55. So as to attain their goals in the Middle East and impose their anti-Arab plans, the two imperialist super- Powers, despite their own intense rivalries, still bargain together and from timP, to time plot together in collusion. The most recent example is the joint Soviet-American statement of 1 October of this year, issued by the two super-Powers as the most elaborate plan for the solution of the problems of the Middle East. In point of fact there is nothing new in that so-called new initiative on the part of the two super-Powers. The statement is merely a hotch- potch of the plots hatched up to now. 56. The enemies of the Arab peoples have very often proclaimed with pomp and circumstar..ce all sorts of plans and projects that were supposed to PtLt an end to the conflict in the Middle East and serve to resolve the problems of the region in a suitable and acceptable fashion. What did the enemies of the Arab people not say in praise of the "Rogers plan" the "Kissinger plan", the "Gromyko- Vance plans" and all the other plans submitted under various labels? All those manoeuvres and machinations were set up and all those pressures and that blackmail were exercised against the Arab people in order to undermine their struggle for liberation and to deceive and intimidate them. The enemies of the Arab peoples continue to bend every effort to force those peoples to give up their struggle to defend their legitimate interest'. and to re-establish their national rights, and to force them to abandon their Palestinian brothers to capitulate to imperialist Zionist aggression and to submit to imperialism. 57. It is the same goals that are sought in the last Soviet-American statement, which saw the light of day at a moment when the two super-Powers, following their usual practice, met at the same tab~e to weigh up their own 58. At present we can see even more clearly the dangers and the noxious consequences resulting from the intrigues and the machinations contrived by the enemies of the Arab peoples during the last four years with a view to sowing discord and division among the Arab peoples and countries, to shatter their will and to undermine their determination to recover by force what was wrested from them by violence and armed aggression. 59. The facts today attest to how right were the sincere friends of the Arab peoples when they expressed their misgivings about the plots that were being hatched under the pretext of efforts to establish peace and stability in the Middle East. Today we can see better how dangerous it is to fall victim to the illusions created by the enemies of the . Arab people, and to believe that it is possible to make progress towards an orderly solution of the problem of the Middle East by counting on the "goodwill" of the Israeli Zionists and the role the two super-Powers might play. 60. The development of events in the Middle East has also shown the sinister nature of the plans of the two super-Powers to impose so-called solutions acceptable to all the parties to the conflict through separate or joint "mediation" initiatives, by reconvening the Geneva Con- ference under their co-chairmanship, by the creation of so-called "International guarantees", and by their so-called "goodwill" and and their so-called "sincere efforts" to ensure for the Palestinian people a S:D-called national homeland and to allow it to be represented in one way or another at any discussions that take place. But all this is only so much camouflage to cover up their plots to stab the Arab peoples in the back and to ensure that the problem of the Middle East becomes a stalemate. 61. The grave and explosive situation that persists in the Middle East has given rise to great concern, not only among the Arab peopies, but among all freedom-loving and peace-loving States. We must therefore put an end to that situation and arrive at a just an.d durable solution to the problem of the Middle East. But that problem cannot be solved unless the problem of the p(llestinian people-which is the very root-cause of it-is solved. It is impossible to solve the problem of the Middle East by ignoring or sacrificing the interests of the Palestinian people. No solution can be just, valid or lasting unless the Palestinian peoples have restored to them all their national rights and their homeland, unless an end is put to the imperialist Zionist aggression against the Arab people and unless we abolish the consequences of that aggression, particularly the occupation of the Arab territones by the Israeli Zionists. 62. From their own experience the Arab peoples know that the Israeli Zionists will never renounce of their own accord their policy of aggression and expansion in the Middle East. They see that the main protagonists in the drama that is being played at their expense are the imperialist super-Powers, and that the rivalry of the super-Powers in the Middle East, as elsewhere, is unlimited, and obeys neither rules nor morality, and that their trickery and perfidy go hand in hand with crime and violence. The 63. The enemies and the false friends of the Arab peoples usually present the plots that they have contrived to further the expansionist ambitions of Israel as so many steps towards a solution of the Middle East problem and the establishment of peace and stability in the region; but the imperialist super-Powers and the Israeli Zionists are asking the Arabs to pay too high a price for the peace that they seem to offer. This sort of false peace that the super-Powers are trying to impose is in fact nothing but an attempt to legalize and perpetuate the consequences of the aggression and satisfy the annexationist claims of the Israeli Zionists at the expense of the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and the other Arab peoples. But the Arab people, who have battled and shed their blood to restore real peace and stability to the Middle East, cannot allow their rights to be sacrificed and trampled underfoot by their enemies, the Israeli Zionists and the imperialist super-Powers. They are not ready to pay such a price for that so-calIpd peace. As Comrade Em'er Hoxha, the leader of the Albanian people, pointed out: "An anti-Arab, trunca,ted peace su~h as the United States and the Soviet Union seek to impose cannot last long. The four Arab-Israeli wars that have taken place thus far have proved this quite clearly. We are convinced that the Arab peoples, the heirs of ancient traditions who are deeply attached to freedom and progress, will crush all the intrigues and the anti-Arab plans of Israel and the super-Powers and, with their united strength, will achieve their own noble national aims." 64. The Albanian people and the Peop!o's Socialist Republic of Albania have always stood and will always stand shoulder to shoulder with the brother Arab peoples at times of both joy and bitterness, at times of both victory and of temporary reverses. We have always supported and always will support the just cause of the Arab peoples in their struggle to overcome the imperialist Zionist aggression and to oppose the aggressive policies of the imperialist super-Powers and defeat their intrigues. The Albanian people is convinced that the Palestinian people and the other Arab {:eoples are indomitable and will overcome all difficuItf~s. These peoples will surely achieve final and complete victory in their struggle even if that struggle is a long one and even if the sacrifices they must make are many and great.

For many years now a complicated and explosive situation has continued in the Middle East. Despite tremendous efforts exerted by the United Nations and despite a number of correct resolutions adopted by the Security Council and the General Assembly in respect of this issue, no visible progress has been made in the past year towards achieving equitable and permanent peace in that region. 67. The Middle East crisis and the discussions on its solution in the United r;ations have been going on now for almost 30 years. As has been many times noted by the overwhelming majority of Members of our Organization, the complex and explosive situation in that region repre- sents a grave danger for peace and international security. The urgent need for a solution stands out with particular clarity in the light of the recent favourable trends towards a relaxation of tensions in international relations. It is in these contexts that democratic world opinion and the overwhelming majority of the States Members of the United Nations are aware of the seriousness of this problem and associate themselves with the view that it cannot be solved in isolation. 68. That is why most of the Member States have in the last years been devoting great attention to the consideration of the Middle East issue within the United Nations and why they have supported a number of significant resolutions calling for a speedy and comprehensive settlement of the Middle East crisis-a crisis that for so many years has been endangering stability not only in that region, but stability and security throughout the world as well. That is why from the very beginning the countries of the socialist community have supported all steps aimed at a permanent peaceful settlement, including all the well-known elements without the fulfilment of which a lasting peace and an equitable implementation of the rights of the parties involved cannot be achieved. 69. In the last year the Political Advisory Committee of the States Parties to the Warsaw Treaty issued a statement on the situation in the Middle East in which it declnred that: "the States represented at the meeting reaffrrm their support of the fight of the Arab States and peoples for a just political settlement of the conflict in the Middle East. They unanimously consider that such a settlement re- quires the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the Arab territories occupied in 1967, the achievement of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian Arab people, in- cluding its right to create a State of its own, the securing of the right to independent existence of all the States involves in the conflict, including Israel, and the termi- nation of the state of war between the respective Arab States and Israel. It is these problems that must form the agenda of the Geneva Peace Conference on the Middle East, whose proceedings should be resumed in the shortest possible time and with the participation of the Palestine Liberation Organization. The conflict in the Middle East can and must be settled; this is necessary in the interest of all the peoples of the region and in the interest of general peac~."2 That stand remains fully valid today. 2 Ibid., document S/122SS, annex I (V). 71. The refusal to recognize the fundamental, legitimate rights of the Palestinian people creates a,serious obstacle to progress towards a settlement.. Disregard of the rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people, the various manipu- lations, the military attacks against the territory of Lebanon-none of that will silence the voice of the Arab people. Reliance on a policy of acting from a position of force, or efforts at a partial, compromise solution will delay a genuinely equitable, permanent and peaceful settlement. Such a course of action can lead to nothing but compli- cations. 72. In view of its position of principle on the solution of the Middle East crisis and its continued support for the just struggle of the Arab nations and, in particular, the struggle of the Palestinian people for a return to their homes and for the implementation of their inqlienable right to self-deter- mination, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic cannot but expose those who are obstructing, complicating, or refusing to contribute to, the implementation of the respective United Nations resolutions. 73. In recent months a w:-:;1.e-ranging consensus has been reached on the need for the early convening of the Geneva Conference on the Middle East. Of great significance and importance in this context is the joint Soviet-United States statement on the Middle East of 1 October 1977. That statement by the Co-Chairmen of the Geneva Conference has opened the way to its early resumption, which is the only proper and effective way to resolve all aspects of the Middle East problem as a whole. We trust that all the interested parties will, in concert with the Co-Chairmen of the Geneva Conference, take advantage of the opportunities which have recently emerged. The recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people and the participation of their representative-the PLO-in the Conference are important conditions for the success of the negotiations. 74. Since the end of the Second World War, Czecho- slovakia, like other European nations, has gone through a period without parallel in European history: a whole 32 years without a war. On the initiative of the socialist countries, Europe has chosen dialogue, which has culmi- nated in conclusions offering a long prospect for peaceful development. The Czechoslovak delegation is of the view that, as long as the Arabs and the Palestinian people are not given back what rightfully belongs to them, we cannot speak of genuine peace. 75. The whole world expects concrete action from the United Nations so that the authority of the Organization and its bodies may be permanently strengthened. The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic is determined and ready to

By its application for admission to the United Nations my country [A/32/134-S/12357] wished to demonstrate its ardent desire to join the international community and to abide strictly by the fundamental principles governing relations among States Members of this Organization. 78. Now that our country is a full-fledged Member of the . United Nations, enjoying full sovereignty, we consider ourselves in a good position to understand the struggle being waged by the Palestinian people for the recovery of its right to independence and self-determination, having ourselves trudged the long road to our own independence. 79. The people of Djibouti, who have had a long expe- rience of struggle, declares their full solidarity with and full support for the just cause of the Arab peoples in general, and of the Palestinian Arab people in particular, in their just struggle against the Zionist camp. Our ppsition is based pr111arily on the obligation we undertook by endorsing the United Nations Charter and by abiding scrupulously by the pertinent decisions and resolutions of the Organization adopted with regard to Zionist and Fascist regimes, such as those of Israel and South Africa. In this regard, the first act of the foreign policy of our Head ofState was to reject the telegram of congratulations addressed to him on the occasion of our accession to independence by the President of the Republic of South Africa. That testified to our unshakable support for our brothers in South Africa and thus to our adherence to the spirit of the Charter of our Organization. 80. The similarities between the South African and Middle East situations are well known to the international com- munity. The politica~ and military relations between the two regimes attest to their common ideology, the basis of which is the systematic disregard for the most elementary human rights. 81. The Middle East question has been before the General Assembly for 30 years; yet no just or lasting solution to this problem, which is of concern to the whole world, is yet forthcoming. The direct responsibility for this explosive situation rests with the Israeli Zionist regime, which has repeatedly resisted all the pertinent resolutions of our Organization, thus defying the will of the international community to find a proper and just solution to the problem. The Fascist, racist regime of Israel similarly persists in its intransigence and continues its ceaseless violation of the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and independence. The immediate effect of this blind and humiliating policy has been to aggravate the situation in the region, thus posing a direct 83. That is why we consider that our Organization has a right to condemn and to put an end to those illegal and inhuman practices of the Israeli regime which continue despite United Nations resolutions. 84. One of the illegal measures recently taken by Israel in order to establish Jewish settlements in the occupied territories constitutes a flagrant violation of the generally recognized principle of the non-acquisition of territories by force. Furthermore, those measures are being arbitrarily carried out against the will of the population living in those territories. . 85. The actions thus undertaken by Israel to change the legal status, the demographic composition and the geo- graphical nature of the territories occupied demonstrates once again the determination of Israel gradually to exter- minate the Arab population. These acts, carried out by Israel in violaUon of the fundamental rules of international law, of human rights and of the Geneva Convention, are part of the basically racist and Fascist policy of the Zionist regime. Furthermore, the policy of expansion ceaselessly pursued by Israel on the pretext of ensuring its security constitutes a major obstacle to any just and lasting solution of the Middle East problem. 86. In conclusion, the international community must not content itself with condemnation of this policy of aggres- sion and expansion, but must make every effort to put an end to these illegal practices and to enforce respect for the pertinent resolutions adopted to that effect by the General Assembly.

Once again the General Assembly is considering the question of the situation in the Middle East. Despite the latest developmeni.s of the last few days, we must admit that the present debate illustrates the difficulties that have continued to exist in the Middle East since the last session of the General Assembly. This debate also, and above all, brings to mind the constant danger that that stagnant situation presents to international peace and security. 88. The position of my Government on this matter is clear. It has been stated here repeatedly, most recently in the plenary meeting of the General Assembly on 27 September last, by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of my country, who said: "The existing situation in the Middle East constitutes one of the main obstacles to peace and security. In that "As long as Israel continues the occupation of Arab territories there can be no hope of establishing a lasting peace in that region." [9th meeting, paras. 219-220J 89. Therefore, we believe that any solution of the problem of the Middle East, in order to be effective, must rest on a number of principles that emerge from the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and General Assembly. 90. First and foremost, resort to force or the threat of force cannot and must not in any case be used as a pretext or justification of the occupation by one State of the territories of another State. Another principle concerns the right to existence and to security of all States of the region. In fact, a just and lasting peace cannot be established unless the principles that I have mentioned are implemented and the independence and the territorial integrity of all States of the region are ensured. In order to achieve these goals, all diplomatic and political means and all the possibilities afforded by the United Nations must be used. Thus, the fundamental principles of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) remain today as being the best and most realistic way of achieving peace in the Middle East. On the basis of those resolutions, the establishment of a just and lasting peace will depend on two conditions: that is, withdrawal from the territories occupied since June 1967 and recognition of the sovereignty, territorial inte- grity and political independence of each State in the region. 91. We should also like to insist once more on these ~rinciples being implemented as well as on the importance of the participation of the representatives of the Palestinian people in any peace negotiations. Any peace agreement that might be arrived at without taking into account the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people would run the risk of miscarrying immediately. 92. It is in that spirit that my Government has spared no effort to encourage the creation of an atmosphere con- ducive to a just and lasting settlement of the question. 93. My Government was very pleased at the adoption by the Security Council of the resolutions that I have just mentioned. We have given active support to the preparation and adoption of other relevant resolutions by the principal organs of our Organization, both with regard to the status of the city of Jerusalem and to the legitimate rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people. 94. The Government of Iran is deeply concerned over the situation that continues to exist in the Middle East. My Government believes that for the peace efforts to be crowned with success Israel must withdraw from the 95. W~ share the conviction that the Geneva Peace Conference on the Middle East offers the best political and legal machinery for translating the provisions of the relevant resolutions of the United Nations into practice. Therefore, all our efforts must be focused on ensuring that that Conference is reconvened as soon as possible with the participation of all parties concerned. It is to be hoped, therefore, that the courageous initiative taken by President EI-Sadat of Egypt will contribute to making it easier for that Conference to reconvene. . .

Our Assembly's consideration of the item on the situation in the Middle East has this year a very special nature because of the gravity of the situation and the difficult period through which the Arab world is living at this crucial moment. Just as the struggle of the Palestinian people for the exercise of their national rights has at last been brought home to everyone and the elements of a just and lasting settlement of the Middle East conflict have fmally been grasped by the international community as a whole, factors of division and confusion have appeared which are fraught with dire consequences and can only serve the designs of the ene!J1ies of the Arab worid, impeding its march towards progress, unity and renaissance. 97. In this connexion, the Algerian Government empha- sized the gravity of the situation by publicizing a statement by the Council of Ministers on 20 November 1977 pointing out that: "... if independent States· are sovereign, and conse- quently the sole judges of their own interests, then no one is entitled to speak or deal with the Zionist State on behalf of the Arab nation, still less to mortgage the future of the Arab peoples, and more particularly of the fraternal Palestinian people, of which we are always mindful and which remains one of our basic concerns." 98. Scarcely emerged from the long night of colonialis.. , the Arab world has been confronted for 30 years now by a more dangerous-because more insidious-form of colo- nialism, of which the first victim was the Palestinian people. 99. The Algerian delegation has repeatedly had occasion to recall the fundamental facts of what is commonly described as the Middle East crisis and to emphasize that that crisis is in reality no more than the manifestation of a colonial phenomenon and the consequence of a policy of aggression and expansion. 100. The Zionist entity, founded on a racist and reac- tionary ideology, has always regarded itself as "non- Palestine"; hence its determination to practise a policy of settler colonization, which can only be done at the eXfense of the Arab people of P:l1estine and by denying the;r very existence. Furthermore, through its policy of war and expansion at the expense of the other Arab peoples of the region, Israel has become an essential element in the imperialist strategy aimed at arresting the momentum of 101. That is why the struggle of the Arab peoples for the restoration of the legitimate national rights of the Pales- tinian people and the recovery of all their occupied territories has always been part of the over-all liberation struggle of the third world and a continuation of the history of the great values and traditions of the fight for freedom. In that struggle was forged Arab solidarity, which never fails to be demonstrated whenever the Arab nation is confronted by grave dangers. And it is thanks to the solidarity and the sacrifices of the Arab peoples, and particularly the Palestinian people, under the leadership of the PLO, that the existence of that martyred people has at last been brought home as an undeniable reality to the whole of the international community. 102. Thus it was that the General Assembly at its twenty-ninth session recognized the PLO as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and granted it observer status in our Organization [resolution 3237(XXIX)). Furthermore, the General Assembly, at the same time, reaffirmed the inalienable rights of the Pales- tinian people in Palestine, including its right to self-deter- mination, independence and national sovereignty [reso- lution 3236 (XXIX}J. 103. It is significant that the General Assembly considered that the exercise of the national rights pf the Palestinian people was an essential pre-condition for the establishment of a just and lasting peace and that the participation of its only lawful representative, the PLO, on an equal footing with the other parties to the conflict, was essential to all ~fforts and deliberations aimed at the establishment of peace in the Middle East. 104. Since the act of aggression perpetrated on 5 June 1967 by Israel against sovereign Arab States Members of our Organization, there has been no lack of efforts or goodwill in the search for the elements of a just and lasting settlement of the conflict. But Israel's intransigence and obstinate refusal to bow to the decisions of the United Nations have constituted the sole obstacle to the attain- ment of peace in that region. Not content with the military occupation of Arab territorieS", Israel has embarked on a policy of colonization and systematic settlement of those territories, in flagrant violation of the elementary canons of international law. That policy, moreover, has just been condemned once again by our Assembly [resolution 32/5J, which regards it as a serious obstacle to the quest for a settlement. 105. The history of' this long and painful tragedy in the Middle East, which has marked tLe life of our Organization since its inception, teaches us that the search for partial solutions and individual approaches is irrevocably doomed to failure and that only an over-aIl approach can lead to a satisfactory and lasting settlement of the conflict, because the elements that make up that conflict are so closely interlinked. Is it necessary to recall yet again that such a solution necessarily entails the withdrawal of Israel from all the occupied Arab territories and the restoration of the national rights of the Palestinian people? The thinking 106. However harsh it may be, the present situation cannot lessen the faith of the Arab peoples in the justice of their cause or their determination to continue their struggle to ensure the recovery of all their occupied territories and for the exercise of the national rights of the Palestinian people. In that struggle for right and justice the peoples concerned will surely have the support and co-operation which the international community has never ceased to give them.

During his statement in this hall last year3 the President of the nine members of the European Community launched an urgent appeal to all the parties to the conflict to avail themselves of the opportunity offered by circum- stances to overcome the obstacles in the way of nego- tiations. 108. Today we must recognize that, although our hope has not been fully'realized, the past year has none the less seen some significant progress. There is a real possibility of a meeting of the Geneva Conference in the near future. For this reason we hope that the present debate, which is taking place at a particularly important and delicate moment, will be such as to contribute to the establishment of peace. 109. The nine members of the European Community wish to state here that they were very gratified by President EI-Sadat's initiative in going to Jerusalem and that they are fully aware of the implications of that event. In this connexion, I should like to recall the declaration adopted in Brussels on 22 November, the text of which is as follows: "The nine Ministers for Foreign Affairs, convinced that mistrust constitutes one of the main obstacles to a peaceful settlemEnt of the Arab-Israel conflict, share the hopes raised by the courageous initiative of President Sadat and his historic meeting with the Israeli leaders. They hope that the unprecedented dialogue begun in Jerusalem will open the way to comprehensive nego- tiations leading to a just and lasting overall settlement taking account of the rights and concerns of all the interested parties. It is urgent that genuine peace at last be achieved for all the peoples of the area including the Palestinian people on the basis of the principles recog- nized by the international community which are em- bodied in particular in the declaration of the European Council of 29 June 1977. They express the hope that it will be possible for the Geneva Conference to be reconvened in the near future." 110. Since the beginning of this year a whole range of efforts have been made: following the adoption of reso- lution 31/62, the Secretary-General contacted the different parties to the conflict. He had to note at the conclusion of hi~ journey that, without fundamental changes in attitude, 111. Simultaneously with the action taken by the Secre- tary-General, a number of countries have undertaken similar efforts on a bilateral basis. The new United States Administration, in particular, took a series of initiatives with a view to finding grounds for mutual understanding between the parties. All those initiatives were to culminate in intensive diplomatic activity at the beginning of this session of the General Assembly. The nine members of the European Community welcome all those peace efforts, as well as the co-operation which became evident between the two Co-Chairmen of the Geneva Conference at the time of the United States-Soviet joint statement of principles of 1 October 1977. 112. The nine member States of the Community hope that all those efforts, and particularly the initiative of President EI-Sadat, will bring forth other developments of a similar scope and dimension, for this would facilitate the speedy reconvening of the Geneva Conference and an over-all settlement of the conflict. 113. As far as we, the nine members of the European Community, are concerned, we have never ceased to give support all during this year, both bilaterally and multi- laterally, to those encouraging developments. Convinced of the urgency of negotiations and of an over-all, just and lasting settlement, we have always declared ourselves ready to help in fmding a settlement and to contribute to its implementation to the extent that the parties may wish. As we have stated on several occasions, we are ready to consider participation in the guarantees within the frame- work of the United Nations. Pursuant to this line of reasoning, I should like to recall here the statement on the Middle East made by our Heads of Government when they met in London on 29 June last. 114. The settlement which we all hope for must be based on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (l973), as well as on the four basic principles which, together with the resolutions I have just mentioned, constitute a whole. Those principles are: first, the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force; secondly, the need for Israel to put an end to the territorial occupation it has maintained since the conflict of 1967; thirdly, the respect for the sovereignty, the territorial integrity and the inde- pendence of each State in the area and of its right to live in ·peace within secure and recognized boundaries; and fourthly, the recognition that, in the establishment of ajust and lasting peace, the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people must be taken into account. 115. The over-all settlement should allow each State in the area to live in lasting peace without anxiety or hesitation. Of course, such a settlement should take into account the interests and concerns of all the parties. It is for this reason that the nine countries have affirmed that Israel must be prepared to recognize the legitimate rights of the Pales- tinian people, just as the Arab side must be prepared to recognize Israel's right to live in peace within secure and recognized borders. 117. We call upon all parties in the present circumstances to exercise maximum restraint and to refrain from any unilateral action which might complicate the situation and hinder the process of negotiation. 118. Circumstances during the last 30 years have never been as favourable for putting an end to the conflict in the Middle East, and thus for ushering in a new era in that part of the world. 119. Therefore, at this crucial moment, we should like to call upon all parties to undertake urgently decisive efforts for the establishment of a peaceful settlement which would lead to the achievement of truly peaceful relations. 120. The vital interests of the countries and peoples in the area, as well as those of the entire international community, are at stake.

Today, more than 10 years after Israel's aggressive war against the Arab peoples, the situation in the Middle East continues to be characterized by tension and inse- curity and presents the real danger of another war. Israel is continuing its illegal occupation" of foreign territories and refuses to recognize the inalienable right of the Arab people of Palestine to establish its own State. It continues to execute measures for the annexation of occupied Arab territories and it bombards villages and towns in neigh- bouring countries, killing old people, children and women, at the same time describing its actions as "repressive" or "preventive" measures. All this demonstrates that no change has taken place in the position of Israel and, failing that, no progress is possible towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict in that part of the world. 122. The General Assembly's consideration of the various agenda items concerning the Middle East at this session has shown that Israel's harsh and negative attitude towards the decisions of the Security Council and the General Assembly that call for a peaceful settlement ofthe crisis in the region has contributed to the subsequent isolation of that State. Indeed it could not have been otherwise. As time passes, Israel's true intentions become ever clearer. The statements of that country's representatives to the effect that the lands occupied in 1967 are only "liberated territories" can leave no doubt in anyone's mind that Israel's aim is to annex foreign territories by force, an aim that is in flagrant contradiction with contemporary international law and th~ United Nations Charter. 123. Despite the great complexity of the situation in th~ Middle East, it is not difficult to discern the main cam:~ 0f 125. All countries, with one single exception, support the view that a peaceful settlement of the Middle East crisis is impossible so long as the PLO, the legitimate representative of the Arab people of Palestine, is excluded from the negotiations. Neither can there be any lasting solution that does not affrrm full recognition of the rights and the lawful interests of the Palestinian people, including their right to create their national State. 126. Member States agree that the so-called "step-by-step" policy is not the most suitable way of approaching a tangle of problems as complicated as those of the Middle East. A solution should be sought, and can only be found, on the basis of a consideration of all aspects of the problem, with the participation of all the parties concerned. 127. The establishment in the Middle East of a just and lasting peace is possible only ifpeace is based on an over-all settlement encompassing all aspects of the problem and is founded on the pertinent decisions of the Security Council and the General Assembly and contemporary international law. The essential elements of a future settlement are clearly stated in the resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly: namely, withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the Arab territories occupied in 1967; the exerc!se of the inalienable rights of the Arab people of Palestine, including their right to an independent State; the guar- anteed right to an independent existence for all the countries of the Middle East involved in the conflict, including Israel; and the cessation ofa state of war between the Arab countries and Israel. 128. Virtually the entire membership of the United Nations is agreed in recognizing the Peace Conference on the Middle East as the sole forum where, under the co-chairmanship of the Soviet Union and the United States, all the parties concerned, including from the outset and on a footing of equality representatives of the PLO can be brought together. 129. The joint Soviet-American statement of 1 October this year on the Middle East enjoys general support and has been considered as a major contribution to the convening of the Peace Conference on the Middle East in the near future. My country supports that statement. It stresses the fact that only a peaceful over-all settlement which would take account of the rights and the legitunate interests of all the parties to the conflict could eliminate its causes and thlJ' help to build confidence among the peoples and to ~:>tahlish lasting peace in that part of the world. The wilH:1gness shown by the Soviet Union and the United <;t~tes to take part in international guarantees concerhing ~~"?~ct for borders and the application of the provisions of th',' future treaty is a new factor which represents a major 130. The forces of the region and elsewhere, which are doing everything possible to safeguard the status quo in the Middle East that has persisted for 10 years now are creating unwarranted procedural obstacles. These forces are reso- lutely opposed to the participation of the PLO in the Peace Conference on the Middle East. Furthermore, they are laying down prior conditions unacceptable to other parties to the conflict. They are denying to the Arab people of Palestine everything they themselves seek to obtain through a peaceful settlement for Israel. Does this not really cast doubt on the statements made in that regard by that State, to the effect that it is participating actively in the quest for a just political settlement of the conflict? No people can achieve the security of its borders so long as it denies to another people its inalienable right to self-determination and to an independent State. 131. The position of the People's Republic of Bulgaria on the situation in the Middle East is based on a consistent policy of principle, the purpose of which is to consolidate and extend detente. through the peaceful settlement of international disputes. That policy is based on the Bulgarian people's sense ofinternational solidarity with peoples under foreign domination which are struggling for freedom, independence and social progress. That is why the just cause of the Arab peoples, and in particular that of the Arab people of Palestine, continues to enjoy the sympathy and support ofthe Government and people of Bulgaria, and will continue to do so. ' 132. The Government of the People's Republic of Bulgaria remains convinced that a just and lasting peace in the Middle East is possible only if there is a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories of the Arab countries occupied in 1967; if the Arab people ofPalestine are allowed to exercise their legitimate national rights, including their right to create their independent State; and if all the countries of the region are able to exist in independence and security. 133. We believe that the Peace Conference on the Middle East should be resumed in the near future with the participation of all the parties to the conflict, including from the 'outset and on a footing of equality, the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Arab people of Palestine.

The question of the Middle East that we are discussing today is a problem that, on the one hand, can be considered of great simplicity and, at the same time, is of obvious complexity. The complexity flows from the fact that Israel's very presence in the Middle East region is a part of a global strategy to confme the Arab Mashrek (East) within certain limits and thus create an induced abscess. 135. The Zionist immigration to the region, which was the instrument of that strategy, was carried out on the pretext that the persecuted Jews from Europe were seeking a homeland. The search for that homeland, therefore, ap- peared as a balm to the Western conscience that was 136. Parallel with this psychological brainwashing of world public opinion was a representation of the Arab world, which had on many occasions demonstrated a natural and legitimate attitude of rejection, or had reacted in self-defence, as a group of aggressive nations solely imbued with the dream of destroying the Jews and driving them into the sea. 137. This simplistic design that was created and main- tained by sophisticated propaganda nevertheless, unfor- tunately, took hold over a period of almost 30 years and even seemed to be accepted by many countries, no doubt in good faith. Therein lies the complexity of this problem, and it is for this reason, too, that for those who are not directly concerned it is difficult to take an impartial view. 138. But, at the same time, the problem of the Middle East is remarkably simple. The simplicity lies in the fact that Palestine lived at peace, its peoples lived ill fraternity and harmony, until the day when a handful of Zionist immigrants, who had no links with Palestine, came and upset this age-old balance, sowing the seeds ofinadmissible injustice and creating a dangerous focus of tension. After that the Palestinian people were evicted from their homes, dispossessed, reduced to wanderers and condemned to live on international char:ty. 139. As time has passed, the Arab countries neighbours of Palestine have seen their territories shrinking and shrinking, their sovereignty violated-in a word, their right to existence dangerously jeopardized. First terrorism, then occupation by force, became the very essence of the Israeli policy in the region. The settlement of Israeli colonies in occupied Arab territories and the absolute denial of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people are the clearest manifestations of this policy of Israel. 140. This, too, is the problem of the Middle East, as it truly stands in all its naked simplicity; this is the injustice that was imposed on the Arab nation, and in particular on the Palestinian people and the Arab States neighbouring Palestine. 141. But it took the international community well-nigh 30 years to realize the seriousness of this injustice and in particular to cast doubt on the simplistic way in which the problem had been presented from the outset by Israel, and sometimes by its powerful friends. 142. The gradual turning of international public opinion towards support of the Arab position was not the result of an accident or of a particular political situation. That evolution was the result of persevering efforts over 30 years based upon the sincere search for a just and lasting peace that would take account of the essential element of the problem, namely, the Palestinian question. 144. Everyone will also recall that France and the Soviet Union then in turn proposed plans for a solution. The American Government, too, submitted plans on 9 De- cember 1969, 19 June 1970 and 4 October 1971 for the full implementation of Security Council resolution 242 (1967). 145. The Organization of Afcican Unity was also seized with the question and, in June of 1971, appointed a Committee of African Heads of State whose mandate was to clear the way for Mr. Jarring's mission. 146. Yet all these initiatives failed because of the intrano- sigence of the Israeli Government. They nevertheless did one thing; they served to break down the elements of the problem more precisely and, above all, to demonstrate the open attitude of the Arab States and their good faith in seeking a just and lasting peace with due regard for all the elements of the problem. 147. It became obvious to all after this long process that the Arab States wanted peace and that Israel was doing all in its power to hinder the establishment of peace. The pretexts adduced by the-Israeli authorities were sometimes the fear of being driven into the 3ea by the Arabs, sometimes the need for secure and recognized borders-in other words, the need to perpetuate the occupation of the Arab territories and a flat refusal to recognize the Pales- tinian problem. 148. Driving Israel into the sea became a cliche so overused by Israeli propaganda that the Israelis themselves hardly believe it any longer, if ever they did so. 149. As for the secure and recognized borders, they involve an inherent contradiction which should be brought out, and also represent by now empty and meaningless formula. In fact, borders cannot be secure unless they are recognized, and they can only be recognized if they do not violate the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Arab States of the region. 150. Furthermore, in an era when intercontinental missiles are becoming almost conventional weapons, distances and natural obstacles become quite meaningless in terms of national security. That means that today a country's security does not depend, as it once did in past ages, on topographical considerations, but essentially on recognition and respect between nations. 151. There is also the Palestinian question. To deny the Palestinian question, as Israel seems to be trying to do, is systematically to turn one's back on the root-cause of the problem that we are discussing today. In fact, if the problem of the Middle East has not been solved for 30 years it is simply because the international community- and, in particular, the friends of Israel-tends to set aside the inalienable rights of the Arab peoples ofPalestine. That 152. The Arab people of Palestine took up the challenge in the most difficult days of their past history, and thus far have refused any peaceful solution that denied their existence; but today they are far better eqUipped to force the recognition of their existence and see that their inalienable rights are recognized. The Palestirjan people today enjoy the unanimous recognition of the int~rnational community; they are better organized socially, politically and militarily. This improvement in their situation is due mainly to the TU f), the legitimate and unchallenged representative of the Arab people of Palestine. It is therefore that organization, and only that organization, . which can validly commit the Palestinian people; and it is that organization alone which must be associated with all efforts to seek a just and durable peace in the region, if there is a real desire to see such a peace achieved at last. 153. These, therefore, are the three pretexts that have been adduced: that the Jews will be driven into the sea; that they need secure and recognized borders; and that no Palestinian people exists. It is behind those pretexts that Israel has thus far sheltered in blocking any peace initia- tives-even when such initiatives were undertaken by their own friends. ' 154. That policy of intransigence that has characterized Israel's attitude thus far has been the essential reason for its diplomatic and political isolation. Many countries, particu- larly in Africa, no doubt repelled by that intransigent attitude, broke off relations with Israel in 1973 out of solidarity with the Arab world. Some countries, despite their having broken off relations with Israel, might never- theless, for their own legitimate reasons, wonder whether the Arab people really intended to work for a just and lasting peace in the region. They might even lend some credence to the pretexts adduced by Israel. 155. But I think that those doubts can no longer exist, now that the political will of the Arab countries, and their sincerity and good faith, are so evident.. I believe that the support for the Arab cause from many countries can only be strengthened. 156. It is obvious, in any case, that peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved until Israel has recognized and accepted the inalienable rights of the Arab people of Palestine as represented by the PLO, and until Israel has withdrawn from all the occupied Arab territories. At that price1 and only at that price, will the Middle East be able to play its traditional role of promoting harmony and brother- hood among peoples.

The sometimes tragic experience of our times demonstrates i:hat attempts to settle disputes by force, far from resolving anything, merely breed new conflicts and endanger general peace and security. 159. Like other States we feel deep concern at the absence of progress towards a solution of the Middle East conflict and the continuit1g state of tension in that part of the world. The mterest shown by my country in the establish- ment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East is prompted by the wish to see an end to a hotbed of tension which may endanger the peace and security of all peoples and, first and foremost, those of the people living in the area orin neighbouring areas, as in Europe. At the same time it is our firm belief that the solution of the conflict will surely create auspicious conditions for the free and inde- pendent development of all countries and peoples of the area. 160. Romania has always stressed that a just and lasting peace in the Middle East must be based on Israel's withdrawal from all Arab territories occupied following the 1967 war; the recognition of the right of the Pa1estinian people to self-determination, including the right to establish itself in its own national State; and guarantees of the existence, the territorial integrity and the right to develop in full freedom and independence of all States in the area. 161. It is now unanimously recognized that no peaceful, just and lasting settlement of the problems of the Middle East is conceivable without a solution to the problem of the Palestinian people and without proper consideration for the rights and legitimate aspirations of that people. That is the general opinion that has emerged from the debates on this topic in the United Nations, as well as from the bilateral contacts that have been recently undertaken. 162. Here again we should like to reaffirm our conviction that the Palestinian people has the right to participate on an equal footing, through its legitimate representative, the PLO, in all negotiations aimed at establishing peace in the Middle East. 163. The present debate is taking place at a special moment, when intense political and diplomatic activity is going on with regard to the Middle East situation. 164. Efforts are being made at various levels and in various ways by all the parties concerned to clear the way for negotiations. Recent developments and the realistic atti- tudes, imbued with a new spirit, which have been expressed may mark a turning-point in the situation in the Middle East and in the search for peace in the region. 165. After President Anwar EI-Sadat's visit to Jerusalem, there is now a new situation, which must be made use of in the interests of a resumption of the Geneva Peace Con- ference, naturally with the participation of all the parties cm:cerned. 166. In present circumstances Romania consid~rs that it is more urgently necessary than ever to redouble our efforts to help and encourage the parties concerned to cor!lmit themselves resolutely to the path of peaceful settlement of all problems posed by the Middle East conflict. 168. In this spirit we believe that energetic steps must be taken to ensure a resumption of the Geneva Peace Conference with the participation of all the parties con- cerned. 169. It is clear that the Geneva Conference will have better prospects and chances of success if it is convened in a confident and calm atmosphere. For that reason the resumption and the productive conduct of the Geneva Conference must be carefully prepared for, so that the countries directly concerned, and the PLO, may discuss and themselves establish the principles of the agreements to be concluded and the specific way in which their relations will take shape in the future in the region. The results of the Conference will be viable and will culminate in genuine peace only to the extent that the decisions there taken are accepted by all the parties to the conflict and express the will of all those concerned. 170. I should like once again to reassert my country's firm conviction that the problems presented by the Middle East conflict can be resolved peacefully through the joint efforts of all States and, in the fust instance, of course, by the peoples directly concerned, if those efforts are undertaken in a new and constructive spirit. 171. Political negotiations remain the only tried and true means for ensuring in the Middle East, as elsewhere, that all the problems presented by the conflict will be resolved by the parties directly concerned. 172. For its part, Romania will do everything in its power to contribute to the success of this noble cause, whose vital importance for the tranquillity and security of peoples and for international detente no longer needs any demon- stration.

This year once more the General Assembly is studying the situation in the Middle East. However, this year there is a new atmosphere. On the one hand the more difficult aspects of a very complex situation seem to be coming to the fore, as well as tha numerous obstacles that we shall have to overcome to fmd a just and lasting solution to the problem. Furthermore, hopes have been roused and there is no reason for them to be frustrated if all the parties concerned adopt realistic and moderatr positions and do not lose sight of each and every one of the elements that must be brought into play to achieve such a solution. "We continue to consider as unalterable the premises for a just foild lasting solution to the problem of the Middle East to be respect for the right of existence of all countries in the area, within secure and recognized borders; the withdrawal of Israel from the territories occupied since the war of 1967; and recognition of the national rights of the Palestinian people in accordance with the provisions of the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly." [6th meeting, para. 158.] 175. These elements, which my delegation considers must be a part of any solution to the problem if we want that solution to be just and lasting, are clearly and precisely spelled out in draft resolution A/32/L.38 and Add.1 and 2, and therefore the Spanish delegation will vote in favour of that draft. 176. Regarding the path towards an over-all solution within the framework which I have just outlined and which is in fact the framework defined by the General Assembly, as my delegation stated in last year's debate,4 we continue to believe essential an early reconvening of the Geneva Peace Conference, with the participation of all interested parties, including the Palestinian people, which has already chosen its own representatives. In that connexion, we consider very positive the joint statement on the Middle East issued on 1 October last by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union and the United States Secretary of State, as Co-Chairmen of the Peace Conference. Indeed. the draft resolution on which we shall shortly be voting takes note of this statement with satisfaction. 177. Despite the new atmosphere that has prevailed in the last few days in the Middle East question, we are aware of an important obstacle on the road to a solution, which the party responsible must eliminate immediately. I refer to the continuation of certain practices and measures affecting the territories occupied by Israel since 1967, and more particu- larly to the practice of establishing Israeli settlements in those Arab territories-a matter on which my Foreign Minister also voiced the concern of the Spanish Govern- ment two months ago. ! ) l L I 178. My delegation trusts that the next few months will witness events that will decisively affect peace in that region and throughout the world, and that the Palestinian people, the main victim of the conflict, will finally be able to exercise its inalienable rights. We trust also that the Arab countries will recover their occupied territories and that all States and peoples of the region will embark on a future of peace and co-operation. 4 Ibid., 94th meeting, paras. 116-126.