A/37/PV.41 General Assembly

The position of Jordan on the war between Iraq and Iran, which has today entered its third year, is well known. From the beginning Jordan has sup- ported Iraq in that war, abiding by the Charter of the League of Arab States and the joint defence agree- ment formulated by it, which provides that any ag- gression against any Arab State constitutes aggression against all Arab States. The last Arab Summit Con- ference, held at Fez, emphasized that national concept and reaffirmed that any aggression against any Arab State was an aggression against an the Arab coun- tries [see A/37/696, annex, sect. Ill]. We are extremely concerned at the prolongation of this war between two neighbouring States which are linked by religion. 2. Jordan supports Iraq, in accordance with our national position regarding its war with Iran, which has not responded to the various mediation efforts whether by the Secretary-General, the Islamic mediation com- mittees or the Non-Aligned Movement. We look forward to an equitable and honourable settlement of this conflict, based upon a commitment to the prin- ciples of non-intervention in the internal affairs of States and the peaceful settlement of disputes. 3. Jordan is aware that debate within the framework of the General Assembly may not be the best method of terminating this regrettable war and will refrain from entering intQ,d'eillil on its causes and consequences. 4. At first, the Arab peoples felt optimistic about the Islamic revolution in Iran and expected it to establish good relations with its neighbours on the basis of good-neighbourliness and respect for sovereignty and non-intervention in the affairs ofother States; th(;y felt that it would be a support to the Arab world in its conflict against Israel and international zionism. 5. Jordan wishes to put on record its deep apprecia- tion of the position of fraternal iraq, which, in re- sponse to all the mediation efforts and initiatives for the termination ofthis war, voluntarily and unilaterally withdrew its forces to the recognized international borders with Iran, as a complete demonstration of its response to the mediation efforts and an expression of its desire to end the conflict by peaceful means. 6. In conclusion, we hope that Iran, a brother Islamic nation and member of the Non-Aligned Movement, NEW YORK linked to the Arab States by strong religious and historical bonds, will respond to the constant appeals of the international community to end the war and achieve a peaceful settlement based on the principles of justice and international law and the reievant United Nations resolutions. 7. Mr. BIGOMBE (Uganda): Uganda is very much concerned at the proliferation ofarmed conflicts among nations and the resulting heightening of international tension. The war between Iran and Iraq has been for us a major source of concern and agony. It is a war which cannot be in the interests of the people of either country. Iran and Iraq are both developing coun- tries belonging to the non-aligned movement and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The peoples of the two countries need peace so that they may continue their economic and social development pro- grammes. 8. The war has resulted in massive loss of life and colossal damage to property. Resources which could have been used for productive purposes have been used for arms, for the conduct of the war, which has increased tension in the region and diverted attention from the just struggle of the Palestinian people. 9. Since the war broke out, Uganda has advocated peaceful settlement and negotiation. The non-aligned movement, recognizing the serious danger posed by the conflict and the possibility of a wider conflagration has made sincere efforts to mediate between the two parties. The Secretary-General and his Special Repre- sentative, Mr. Olof Palme, have worked tirelessly for a peaceful solution to the conflict. The Organiza- tioit of the Islamic Conference has worked equally hard to the same end. Uganda has been very sup- portive of those efforts. We commend all those who have been involved in the search for a peaceful solution to the conflict. It is a matter of deep regret to us that these peace efforts have not so far yielded a solution to the conflict. 10. In its resolutions 514 {l982) and 522 (1982), the Security Council called for a cease-fire and a peaceful solution to the conflict. It was our "hope that the two resolutions would lead to ajust set~~einentwhich would safeguard the honour of both parties. Regrettably, those resolutions remain unimplemented. 11. It is incumbent upon both the Security Council and the Assembly to help the Governments and the peoples of Iraq and Iran in the search for a rapid and peaceful solution to the conflict. We appeal to both parties to exercise restraint and to give the mediation efforts a chance.

The Iraqi war ofaggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran has already entered its third year. During the past two years an important part of oy 18. What we have achieved deserves better apprecia- tion from this international body. We believe that our heroic defensive war is the best guarantee of the maintenance of international peace and security and the best safeguard ofthe Charter ofthe United Nations. It is we who have been working for international peace and security; it is we who have been putting into practice the principles of the Charter, not those that sign any piece of paper shamelessly called a resolution or those that pay lip-service to such reso- lutions while bombarding innocent people. 19. Representatives will remember very well that, when all the imperialist press and other media were joyfully counting the days to the downfall of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Security Council had no concern for international peace and security. But, when the criminal Saddam Hussein of Iraq and his cliques are being punished for what they themselves wanted, international peace and security seem to be very seriously threatened, as if a threat to a loyal agent of imperialism were tantamount to a threat to international peace and security as a whole. Is the ruling clique of Iraq-which, according to its own Foreign Minister in an interview in Havana, is re- sponsible for massacring as many Iranians as it wanted-the embodiment of all international ideals? 20. President Saddam signed a peace treaty with the pro-American, pro-Zionist Shah of Iran. On the occasion of the finalization of that lucrative treaty the two rulers shook hands. It happened that the two practising Moslems were photographed, happily toasting each other's health in glasses of champagne. I wish the representatives of Iraq would kindly comment on why President Saddam was so co- operative with the Zionist Shah but, when Iran was converted into the Islamic Republic of Iran, uni- laterally abrogated the accord and waged a war of aggression against us. When President Saddam's invasion took us by surprise we did not have suf- ficient forces even to maintain our internal security against counter-revolutionary attempts. That is why we armed ordinary people to establish their own revolutionary committees and control their own localities and cities. In such circumstances, President Saddam decided, as the Iraqi representative has put it, to defend his waters with his highly sophisticated and mobilized army. 21. Was the exertion of such force the only way of settling his disputes with us? Had he exhausted all available peaceful means? Had he even tried anyone of the provisions for the settlement of disputes pro- vided in the Charter or the agreement? He could have asked the Algerian President, for instance, to mediate, particularly since we had-and happify still have-excellent relations with the progressive Govern- 27. Resort to use of force cannot be justified, particularly when none of the provisions of a peaceful settlement of disputes have been fulfilled-that is, of course, if we presume, just for the sake of argument, that they launched the war of aggression against us because of those disputes. 28. To go back to the pre-war situation does not mean only total, unconditional withdrawal of all forces to the pre-war positions; it also includes the following: first, the repatriation of the innocent Iraqi subjects and residents who have been expelled from Iraq, either because of their opposition to the war or because of the Iraqi regime's racist commitment; secondly, reparation for all war damages inflicted upon us; and, thirdly, a just trial in a just tribunal of those criminals who have violated all norms of inter- national law regulating the conduct of war. 29. To appreciate the practical significance of our conditions, my delegation requests all the representa- tives and others here present just to suppose that their own house has been broken into, their property stolen and destroyed an~ their beloved children murdered-may God forbid. What do you expect, then? You naturally expect the losses inflicted upon you to be compensated for, and the murderer of your children to receive due justice. We too do not expect anything more. This is not revengeful retaliation, but a position that stems from the highly regarded prin- ciples ofnon-aggression, justice and international law. 30. Since the inception of the war, and particularly in moments of defeat, the aggressor has resorted to all sorts of devices to deceive international public opinion. At first he managed to gain some success, but we remained patient, since we believe that the truth will eventually triumph. Every defeat inflicted upon Saddam Hussein he called a tactical withdrawal and one of them he called a unilateral withdrawal But it is well known that those three very importar..: strategic heights that we have just recently liberated are those from which President Saddam had with- drawn-unilaterally of course-months ago, a with- 31. Addressing the Security Council on 17 October 1980, our then Prime Minister, the Martyr Rajai-who attended that meeting with all sincerity, in spite of the fact that we were convinced that this interna- tional body would not take a courageous position and condemn the appeal to force and the occupation .of my country by Iraq-stated that "The resistance of the Iranian armed forces and the Iranian people in the face of Saddam's army has amazed the entire world. Our peopie are resolute and determined to fight, even if the people's war must be prolonged." 1 32. The intemational community could not believe .that we would liberate Khorramshahr. We did it, .'and everybody was shocked. Yes, we have liberated our land and we are very close to a total victory. This is the consequence ot" the prolongation of the war 'which the enemy hoped to end quickly and victo- riously. .33. What bas the Security Council done for us in :order for it to consider that it merits our co-operation? On what account do some justify our interrupting our successful defence which we have legitimately achieved with great sacrifices of the blood of our best .youth, whos~ martyrdom constitutes the peak of gl~ry,and honour? 34. The Iraqi draft resolution is another propaganda manreuvre, since it is a cover to conceal two years of Iraqi occupation and savagery in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iraq is only trying to gain some international support to cover up its bombardments of Iranian hospitals and schools,' and we believe that the interna- tion-&l body can no longer be deceived. We sincerely nope that theintemational body will not be so generous "with its support for the aggressor. We were living in peace; we wanted lit, and we still want it. We know very well how savage war is and how happy peace can.be. But plmce is different from a humiliating cease- ,fire. Ifsuch 2 cease-fire could help at all we would not be witnessiug our Palestinian brothers and sisters 41. In our objections to the Security Council we have never said that they did not refer to the appropriate paragraphs of the Charter. We simply said that the aggression and resort to force were not condemned as required by· Articles 33 and 34 of the Charter. Thus the Council failed to act according to its mandate. If the members ofthe Security Council have principally been given the mandate to preserve international peace and security, then we the Members have prin- cipally every right to remind the Council that its very legitimacy comes from the Charter and that, if it fails , to implement it consistently and correctly, then the 35. No, Mr. President-no cease-fire; only a total very legitimacy of the Council could be questioned. victory. . Hence all their activities, for or against my Govern- 36.. The Iraqi draft resolution claims that the recent ment, with or without a surface reference to the escalation of the war is a threat to international peace Charter, remain invalid and ineffective. It is the and security. Why so reticent about its initiation, the ~~~~r~hatlegitimizes the Security Council, not the occupation of my country for two years and the many crimes and the carnage which the Iraqi army has 42. The deathly silence of the Security Council homeles.~ and di~persed in various so-called host countries. -. . ,,'.. 39. A note of optimism must be sounded about the sponsors of the draft resolution, in that after two years they have learned that resort to force, occupation by force and intervention in the internal affairs of others are incompatible with the Charter. That is very good; they are now learning the Charter. 40. -In conclusion, I shall make a few remarks about the st~tement of the representative of Iraq on this subject [38th meeting]. His statement contained two elements. First, he tried to prove the peace-seeking attitude ofPresident Saddam Hussein. There is no need to prove the fallacious nature of his claims concerning peace. The daily bombardment of our cities and residential areas and the bombardment of the Friday congregation of Hamedan speak more honestly than his statement. I invite representatives to seek further information from their embassies at Teheran, if they do not find it convenient to accept the invitation of my Foreign Minister to visit the sites of war for themselves. The second eiement of the statement, in which he assumed the role of spokesman for the Security Council, contained a series of fallacious legalistic arguments in order, as he put it, to gain my Government's respect for the Council. 46. Mr. L6PEZ DEL AMO (Cuba) (interpretation from Spanish): I have the honour to speak on behalf of the delegations of Cuba, India and Zambia in our capacit}1 as members of the Non-Aligned Ministerial Committee established by the Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Non-Aligned Coun- tries, held at New Delhi, to assist in achieving a peaceful, just and honourable political settlement of the conflict between Iran and Iraq. 47. During the last few days our delegations, together with the delegation of the Palestine Liberation Orga- nization, which is also represented in the Committee, endeavoured to formulate a text that would be acceptable' to the parties to the conflict and that the Assembly could adopt by consensus. We were guided at all times by the mandate given us by the Conference at New Delhi, with the fundamental objective of con- tributing as much as possible to the beginning of a genuine peace process between Iran and Iraq. In that commitment, we count on the compliance and encouragement of the representatives of both coun- tries and of many others who, like ourselves, wish to see a speedy solution to this painful and unneces- sary conflict. 48. Unfortunately, despite our sincere efforts we were not able to achieve a text that was acceptable to both parties. We none the less wish to emphasize that we are truly grateful that the sponsors of the draft resolution have incorporated in that document some wording we had suggested to the parties as elements for a consensus text. 49. In view of our particular position as members of the Ministerial Committee, and bearing in mind that we shall be continuing our efforts to fmd a peaceful, just and honourable political settlement of the conflict, the delegations of Cuba, India and Zamb.ia have decided to abstain in the vote on the draft resolutiOn submitted. 55. From the very beginning we have·' emph~sii~d that the solution should be brought about by the means laid down in the Charter and by common accord between the parties, restoring the political will fQr negotiation which existed before this dispute broke out. The delegation of Mexico has also acknowledged on various occasions the negotiating efforts under- taken both by the non-aligned movement and by the Organization of the Islamic Conference, asweU'as by the Secretary-General. Unfortunately, those efforts have not succeeded in persuading the· parties .to proceed to a prompt settlement.

My delegation expresses its full support for the efforts of the Secretary-General and his Special Representative to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. Since the function ofthe Special Representativeofthe Secretary- , General in this case is performed by Mr. Olof Palme,' Prime Minister of Sweden, my delegation has chosen not to participate in this debate and for this same reason not to participate in the voting on the draft resolution before the Assembly.

Venezuela, as a peace- loving country, will vote in fa-vour of the present draft resolution, in the belief that its motivation and 67. The draft resolution before us is, in our view, a balanced and constructive draft which we sincerely hope will contribute to the search for an early and peaceful end to this conflict. Jamaica will vote in favour of it. 68. Jamaica would wish it to be understood, how- ever, that nothing in this draft resolution proposes the removal of this issue from the purview of the Security Council. We make this observation mindful of the recent report of the Secretary-General [A/37/J] and of the need to restore to the Council its effective capacity to discharge its responsibility for the main- tenance of international peace and security. It would seem obvious to my delegation, therefore, that any attempt to circumvent the fundamental role q,f the Security Council, whether deliberate or inadvertent, could only lead to the further impairment of the 79. A draft resolution before the Assembly, which represents world opinion, should not be imbalanced. If it is, it will not contribute to the cause of peace; peace comes when justice is done. Therefore, I ask all representatives either to abstain from voting on this draft resolution or, if they cannot do that, at least to object to it.

One of the principles basic to the policy of Panama, a principle to which it firmly adheres, is that of the peaceful settlement of disputes. In the light of that principle my delegation wishes to state that it will vote in favour of the draft resolution. 81. My delegation believes that this draft resolution is in accordance with previous resolutions of the Security Council, of which Panama is now a member, particularly resolutions 514 (1982) and 522 (1982), which were adopted with the affirmative vote of the Panamanian delegation. 82. My delegation believes also that this draft reso- lution reflects the very praiseworthy efforts being undertaken by the Secretary-General, the non- aligned movement and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. At this time when we are announcing that we shall vote in favour of the draft resolution, my delegation wishes to point out categorically that it takes no sides on the substance of the conflict or on its origin or background, referred to in the draft resolution. 91. In accordance with that objective, the Romanian delegation, like so many other delegations, would have preferred the General Assembly resolution on this problem to be a consensus resolution. 92. In the light of what I have said and especially because the resolution affirms the necessity of achieving. an immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of forces to internationally recognized boundaries as a preliminary step towards the settlement of the dispute by peaceful means in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, and requests the Secretary-General to continue his efforts, in consulta- tion with the parties concerned, with a view to achieving a peaceful settlement, the Romanian delega- tion voted in favour of the draft resolution.

As a nation which deeply believes in the wisdom ofmusawarah-meaning deliberation and dialogue to achieve a consensus- Indonesia is confident that, through negotiations, the conflict between the two neighbouring brother nations, Iran and Iraq, can be resolved in 2. peaceful manner. 94. It was on the basis of this consideration that my delegation voted in favour of the resolution, as the thrust and substance of its operative paragraphs are directed towards achieving this end. Although my delegation is not fully satisfied with the wording of certain paragraphs in the resolution and would have preferred a more balanced formulation, the immediate need for the initiation of a process for the settlement of the dispute by peaceful means, as called for in the resolution, was a deciding factor in my delegation's voting affirmatively. 96. Bangladesh, as a member of the Goodwill Com- mittee of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, has made extensive in-depth efforts to bring this conflict to an end, and will continue to do so in the future as well. We had hoped that the efforts made by the Non-Aligned Ministerial Committee to attain a formulation of the draft resolution that would be acceptable to both parties would succeed. Unfor- tunately, in spite of its intensive efforts, which we greatly appreciate, the support of both the parti~s could not be obtained. In such a situation, Bangla- desh, as a member of the Goodwill Committee, and particularly as that Commitee is about to meet, decided to abstain in the vote on the draft resolution. 97. We should, however, like to assure the Assembly that Bangladesh will continue to make every effort, in the Organization ofthe Islamic Conference, in the non- aligned movement and in United Nations forums, to bring about an early and peaceful settlement of this tragic conflict.

Austria has followed the conflict between Iran and Iraq with increasing concern and is deeply preoccupied by its serious consequences for the maintenance of international peace and security. 99. We therefore regard the resolution which the General Assembly has just adopted as a sincere effort by the international community to pave the way for a peaceful settlement of this conflict. In this context, I wish to stress the importance my Government attaches to the various mediation efforts undertaken since the outbreak of this tragic conflict. Austria welcomes and supports the mediation efforts under- taken by the Special Representative of the Ser;retary- General, Mr. OlofPalme, and those of the non-aligned movement and of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. These efforts complement one another and we very much hope that they will contribute to solving the conflict in a just and honourable manner, in the spirit of the Charter and of international law. 100. Austria, which seeks to maintain good and constructive relations with both States, is deeply convinced that mediation and negotiation are the only acceptable means of settling the dispute. Austria wishes to see these efforts continued, and offers its assistance, if this is desired by the parties concerned.

My delegation voted in favour of the draft resolution. It did so because it felt that it con- tained positive elements which could facilitate the achievement of ajust and peaceful agreement between Iran and Iraq, which are non-aligned countries with which Argentina maintains excellent relations. 102. At the same time, my delegation feels con- strained to point out that earlier action on this matter by the General Assembly would have had a beneficial effect. 103. We should also have preferred better drafting of certain paragraphs of the draft resolutioQ, which would have made the text more balanced. tiv~ continues to allege that our military forces still occupy parts of Iranian territory. I did say, and I do say now, that Iraq accepts arbitration. Iran has not so far responded to that particular proposal. It is evident from the statement of the representative of Iran that he recognizes the fact that the General Assembly represents the international community. At the same time, he recognizes that we should follow international law. If this is so, is it true to say that the Security Council has done nothing during 20 months? I think the representative of Iran should be told that the Security Council has acted during these 20 months. It has unanimously adopted three resolutions. There were five peace missions by the representative of the Secretary-General to the capitals of the two parties in response to, ai:.d within the framework of, Security Council resolutions. Thus it is not true 1£0 say that the Security Council has done nothing and that it has faced this conflict with a "deathly silence," as the representative of Iran put it. 133. It is quite clear that the representative of Iran, in his statement and in his explanation of vote, was trying to make an appeal to the General Assembly not to give what he called •'unanimous support" to the Iraqi draft resolution. I think it is clear to every- body and to world public opinion that the support which the General Assembly has shown for the draft resolution, in the light of the explanations of vote that were made, is'ample testimony as to where the international community stands and where Iran stands. This is the best kind of reply a representative of Iraq could give to the representative of Iran. It is clear to everyone who is now for the prolongation of the war.

In connection with this agenda item, the Assembly has before it the draft resolution contained in document A/37/L.6. I call on the representative of Niger to introduce the draft resolution. 135. Mr. OUMAROU (Niger) (interpretation from French): It is a great pr!vilege for me to introduce today draft resolution A/37/L.6 on behalf of the States members of the Organization of the Islamic Con- ference and in my capacity as current Chairman of the group of Islamic States in the Un~ted Nations. 136. The basic objective of this draft resolution is to strengthen the fruitful co-operation th(~.t already exists between the United Nations and the Orga- 139. The States members of the Orgaaization of the Islamic Conference perceive that organization's role within the over-all framework of the Charter of the United Natior 3. That is why their adherence to the Charter of the United Nations and to fundamental human rights was clearly reaffirmed in the Charter of the Organiz8.tion of the Islamic Conference. 140. That Charter stresses the determination of the Islamic States to promote improvement in the human condition and the furthering of progress towards freedom and justice throughout the world. With that in view, our States affirm their willingness to con- tribute to universal peace, which is the prerequisite for security, freedom and justice for all peoples. Indeed, among the principles enshrined in the Charter of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, pride ofplace is accorded to the elimination ofracial segrega- tion and discrimination, the eradication of colonialism in all its forms, and support for the struggle of all peoples seeking to free themselves from oppression and injustice, in particular the people of Palestine, whom we are determined to assist in regaining their rights and in freeing their lands, including the Holy City of AI-Quds. 141. Co-operation between the Uoited Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference has been very active over the past seven years and has increased in every sphere. 142. Indeed, since 1975, when the Organization of the Islamic Conference was granted observer status under General Assembly resolution 3369 (XXX), the United Nations has been represented every year, through a special representative of the Secretary- General, at its ministerial conferences. The Secretary- General himself took part in the Islamic Summit Conference held at Mecca-Taif, where he personally delivered a comprehensive and highly appreciated statement expressing the interest the United Nations has in broad cr.-operation with the Organization of the Islamic Conference. 143. The Organization of the Islamic Conference has in practice developed in many spher(:s a constructive co-operation with the Secretariat and with the United Nations specialized agencies. This is evidenced by the co-operation agreements signed with UNESCO, WHO, UNICEF, the United Nations High Com- missioner for Refugees, FAO, UNDP, UNFPA and ~~t~o~of th~ 1~lamic Confer~ncehas undertaken many greater well-being for the whole of mankind. IDltIatlves insIde and outsIde the United Nations ~ontext s~ as !~ serve .t~e cause of int~mationalpeace 150. Thus the States members of the Organization '1od secunty. 1he untlnng efforts oft" our organization of the Islamic Conference actively' hope for the are p!1rticularly highlighted in topics relating to development of co-operation in many forms with the Palestme and AI-Quds AI-Shadf. Our efforts to achieve United Nations. With that in view, the report of the a political settlement of the crisis of Afghanistan and Secretary-General on co-operation with the Orga- a settlement of the unfortunate conflict between the nization of the Islamic Conference [A/371352] was brother countries of Iran and Iraq are known to all. welcomed particularly warmly at the ministerial conference at Niamey. It b1 a ple~sure for me to take 146. In past years the Organization of the Islamic this opportunity to congratulate the Secretary-General, <;onfer~nce has taken clear stands Dn a number of Mr. Jav~er Perez de Cueliar, on his helpfulness and problf.:ms concerning economics, in both the interna- spirit of initiative, which make it possible for us tional arena and the sphere of economic co-operation today to open up new paths by suggesting measures of among its members. It has expressed its desire to see co-ordination ofa realistic and pragmatic nature which a reduction of the unprecedented and increasing gap will, without a doubt, prove effective within the betwe~n industrialized countries and developing coun- framework of the active co-operation which is so tries, and its concern at the lack of progress in the £ I d I . establishm~Alt of a n~w international economic order. ortunate y eve opmg between our two organizatipns. The Organization of the Islamic Conference h~.s also 151. I now come to the draft resolution which, I hope, appealed to its member States to make concerted will be adopted as the logical outcome of our dis- efforts with other developing countries to ensure the cussions on the item under consideration. Draft reso- launching of global negotiations in the United Nations lution A/37/L.6, which I have the honourofintroducing and called upon the developed countries to ~hnw the on behalf of the States members of the .Organization politic.a! will necessary to bring the North-South of the Islamic Conference, notes the desire of both dialogue out of its present deadlock. organizations to co-operate more closely in their c0":lmon search for solutions to global problems in 147. The Statte§ members of the Organization of the varIOUS fields. It notes with satisfaction the report of Islamic Conference havf.; committed themselves to the Secretary-General and endorses the proposals p,rQlt:J,oting colJective allltonomy among developing contained therein. In its operative part it urges co~ntri~s, and the Thirteenth Islamic Conference of t~e Secretary-General, among other things, to take Foreign It1in~sters, held at Niamey from 22 to 26 August steps to strengthen the co-ordination of the activities 1982, took up all the recommendations of the Group of the United Nations system with a view to inten- of.. 77 in this regard. Thus the Organization of the sifying co-operation between the United Nations and Islamic Conference is working for the cause of all the United Nations system, on the one hand, and the developing countries by making effective contribu- Organization of the Islamic Conference, on the other. tion,S.to safeguarding their interests, because the organization includes within its ranks the countries 152. I am confident that this draft resolution, which that are the richest in th~ world, but that are 8tH! has been drawn up by the group of Islamic States in dev~)opin$, side by side with the world's poorest the United Nations, taking into account the suggestions countries. That is why its efforts can but serve here and recommendations ofthe different groups, will have again the general interests of the internat~onal com- the unan~mous approval of the members ·of the . b ' Assembly. mumty a ove and beyond specific differences. it is in this spirit that the Organization of the Isl(!mic Con- 153. ThePRESIDENT: May I take it that the General ference has' very close relations with the non-aligned Assembly adopts draft resolution A/37/L.6? movement, the Organization of African Unity [OA fl] . and the League of Arab States, whose membem are The draft resolution was adopted (resolution 37/4). also members of the Organization of the Islamic Con- 154 The PRESIDENT I h 11 11 h ference as well as (.ther organizations. rep;esentatives who ha~e :sk~d nt~wb~a all~:;do~: 148. The activities of the Organization of the Islamic explain their position. Conference that I have just briefly described cover a 155. Mr. SAYEED (India): My delegation had an 158. We view the increasing co-operation between the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the United Nations as an ind;<;ation of the readiness of that organization to accept the Charter of the United Nations as the chief repository of the ideals and prin- ciples that should promote the progress of mankind. We believe that, like other bodies that have such co- operation, the Organization of the Islamic Conference will strive for a progressive, tolerant and just society and for a world order based on freedom, equality, justice and brotherhood. 159. We have taken note of the fact that the recom- mendations contained in the Secretary-General's report [A/37/352, sect. V] are aimed at increasing the interaction betweel1l the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. As India is not a member of the Conference, we shall not be in a position to judge the extent and value of such an interaction. We would, however, stress that the co- operation should be along the lines and' on terms of complete eqnality with other obser...er organizations represented in the United Nations. 160. We find that the draft resolution just adopted by consensus has certain elements the objectives and implications of which are not clear to us. For those reasons my delegation would have abstained if the draft resolution had been put to a vote.

The Soviet delegation cannot support the resolution just adopted. We regret that from the very beginning-which was two years ago-this matter of co-operation between the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference has been placed on a false footing. That is still the case this year. 162. First of all, it seems to us erroneous to seek to place the Organization of the Islamic Conference 2 The delegation of Malawi subsequently informed the Secretariat that it had intended to vote in favour of the draft resoJutio~. The meeting rose at 1.15 p.l11. NOTES