S/37/PV.94 Security Council

In the long and troubled history of the Middle East, the past year has brought yet anmher climax in the cycle of violence, war and human suffering. This year's events and, above all, the war in Lebanon have again highlighted the threat to international peace and security inherent in theArab- Israeli conflict. 2. The images of the tragic events in Lebanon, of death and destruction, are still fresh in our minds. They will not easily be forgotten. Austria has on several occasiDns expressed its strong condemnation of Israel's invasion of Lebanon. The Austrian Govem- ment and people were particularly appalled by the massacres of Palestinian refugees in the cam~s of Sabra and Shatila. We were deeply shocked by these atliocities because they were committed against refu- gees, the most helpless of all people and the mo§t in need of protection. 6. All the various initiatives and proposals serve the same valuable purpose-they aim at bringing the conflicting aspirations and hostilities of the past decades to an end through peaceful means. It is in this spirit that they have to be viewed by' an parties to the conflict. They should be given time to develop and prosper. In the meantime, the parties c('ncerned should refrain from any action that could spoil the fragile chances fi>r a peaceful solution. 3. But at the same time, the tragedy and renewed affliction of the Palestinian people and of war-ravaged Lebanon have generated a momentum for peace and underscored the urgent necessity of arriving at a solution of the Middle East conflict. Political leaders all over the world have brought their creativity and their personal influence to bear in a move towards this goal. 7. Austria has .consistently maintained that a just and comprehensive solution of the Middle East prob- lem can be achieved only through negotiations among all parties concerned, including the PLO. There is no alternative to dialogue and negotiation.' Resort to violence and use offorce can only aggravate the situa- tion, lead to further violence and create new obstacles on the road to peace. Therefore. we reject unequivo- cally the use of force,· as well as all acts of terrorism from whatever side. Austria has in the past repeatedly urged Israel· and the PLO to enter.into exploratory talks without any pre-conditions. We reiterate this call and are convinced that such talks could assume an essential function in the endeavours to find a peace- ful and durable settlement. 8. The future status of the occupied territories is one of the central elements of any negotiated solution. Israel must therefore reverse its policies towards the occupied territories and respect the duties defined for an occupying Power by the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949.3 The continued expan- sion of the Israeli settlements, the expropriatioWl of land for this purpose, the eviction, displacement and 4. Each attempt to resolve the Middle East con- flict requires, first of all, the recognition of the right of all States in the area, including Israel, to exist within secure and recognized boundaries and the recognition of the national rights of the Palestinian people, in- cluding the right to have a State of its own. Further- more, the Palestinian people has ~he undisputed right to participate in the search for a solution to the Middle East conflict. It has the right to participate in this process through representation of its own choice. The Austrian Government recognizes the Palestine Liberation Organization [PLO] as the rep- resentative of the Palestinian people. A further essential element for any solution is the withdrawal of Israel from the territories occupied in 1967, incl~Jding Jerusalem. 'S. The last months have seen the emergence of various proposals in which those necessary elements are included either partially or in full. Austria has welcomed the constructive approach taken by the 1547 A/37J1!V.94 NEW YORK 13. The situation in the Middle East is the most graphic example of this erosion of the authority of the United Nations. The Middle East has been the fore- most concern of the Orga!1ization for more than 35 years. Five major wars have been fought between Israel and Arabs during this time. They have all been as destructive as they have been indecisive. The conflict continues. For its part!, the United Nations has been instrumental in negotiating armistice agreements. In Security Council resolution 242 (1967), it laid down a blueprint for a peaceful solution which still remains basically valid. In response to the use of force and acts of violence, it has adopted scores of resolutions, by both the General Assembly and the Security Coun- cil, on various aspects of the question of the Middle East. The United Nations has sent tens ofthousands of peace-keeping troops to the area. It has mounted large- scale operations to alleviate the human suffering resulting from the conflicts. The efforts of the United Nations have no doubt been useful. Yet the advent of peace is not within sight. The United Nations is an instrument for peace, but that instrument cannot operate in a vacuum. It can only be of service if the parties to the conflict show a minimum of Willingness to use it both in their own interest and in the interest of the international community as a whole. 14. This year has put the United Nations security system to a harsh test. Rarely has the international environment been less amenable to the peaceful 20. In accordance with its policy of neutrality, Fin- land has taken a balanced and conciliatory position on the various controversial tssues in the Middle East. We have thus maintained good relations wcth all the nations concerned, including the most immediate parties to the dispute. It is our firm intention to con- tinue this policy and thereby preserve the confidence of all parties to the conmct in the Middle East. It has enabJ~d us to render peacefu1 services to all con- cerned, as required. 21. A tangible expression of that is the"sizeable con- tribution which Finland has made, and continues to make, to the United Nations peace-keeping activities in the area, ever since they began in 1956. The Govern- ment of Finland, in line with that policy, recent!y responded positively to a request by the Secretary- General to send a battalion needed to maintain and strengthen the capacity to act of UN!FIL. We con- sider that UNIFIL continues to have a vital role in all efforts to normalize the situation in Lebanon. With our participation in UNDOF and UNTSO, we are thus participating in all ongoing United Nations peace- keeping activities in the Middle East, with one of the largest contributions in men and in money. In this we are motivated by our desire to contribute to the achievement of peace in the Middle East and to do whatever we can to uphold the authority of the United Nations and its capacity to act. 22. The situation in the Middle East is often per- ceived as a regional conflict. Such a view belittles the pivotal political, .strategic and economic impor- tance of the region, transcending the regional confines of the conflict. The situation in the Middle East continues to pose the most persistent threat to inter- national peace and security. The international com- munity therefore has an urgent responsibility to join in a common effort to create at last conditions of peace in the Middle East through the United Nations.

The situation in the Middle East has been discussed in the General As- sembly since the inception of the United Nations. During the past four decades, numerous attempts have been made to find solutions to this complex problem. .Ironically, solutions have indeed been found, and they are manifested in the various resolutions adorted by the Organization, but unfortunately, despite the avaC ability of solutions, peace in the Middle East con~i~lues to elude us, because one of the parties to the conflict adheres to its policy ofaggression and does not believe - in peace and co-existence with its neighbours. Here I am referring specifically to Israel, whose aggressive 28. Afew days ago. my delegation stated in the debate on the question of Palestine [87th meeting] that we regard the Palestinian issue as being the core of the whole Middle East problem. But Israel seems impervious to this very vital point and is adamant and obsessed in its refusal to recognize the legitimate aspirations and rights of the Palestinian Arabs. As I stated earlier, the framework for a comprehensive political settlement can be found in the various reso- lutions adopted by the United Nations. Three essential elements must be accorded recognition by the parties concerned. They are immediate, uncondiHonal and total Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Arab territo- ries; the fulfilment ofPalestinian aspirations, including their aspiration to exercise their dght to return to their homeland and to self-determination and independence; and the restoration of Jerusalem to the Arabs. 29. In reviewing the events in the Middle East, my Government notes with regret the ongoing conflict between the brotherly countries of Iran and Iraq, countries with which we share close and abiding rela- tions. In this regard 9 my delegation would like to urge those two countries to cease fighting and to resolve whatever conflict they may have by peaceful means, in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. We hope that, to this end, they will intensify their co-operation in the conciliation efforts of the Secretary-General's Special RepresentRtive, the non-aligned countries and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. 30. Despite the diversionary incidents, most of the conflicts which have taken place in the Middle East during the past year seem to have revolved around the Arab-Israeli conflict. In this regard, my delegation appreciates the efforts which the United Nations is making to reduce tensions and to mitigate the various destabilizing factors in the Middle East. It is tragic that the United Nations has on several occasions been paralysed by some of its Members and prevented from playing a more effective role to bring about a rapid, just and equitable solution of the Palestinian problem. We are all aware of the rationale and the circumstances which brought about the inception of this body, yet we have placed limitations on its capacity to act. In this connection, my delegation fully concurs with the report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization [A/37/J], in which he decried the ineffectiveness of the United Nations which has resulted from various impediments and obstructions caused by Member States themselves. 31. My. delegation believes that the unified determi- nation of the international community, complemented by the efforts of the countries of the region, has become more imperative in solving international con- flicts. It is only on this basis that we can compel Israel to comply with the United Nations resolutions and the norms of international behaviour. My delega- tion is prepared to support any effective measures that could in the end bring peace again to the Middle 41. It is no surprise that the present Prime Minister, Menachem Begin, who planned the Deir Yassin mas- sacre of 1948 and who since then has boasted that that massacre played the greatest role in the creation of Israel, through. the resulting evacuation of the land in order to allow the creation of Israel, also planned the Sabra and Shatila massacres. 42. The entire international community is aware of the fact that the core of the Middle East situation is the Palestine question, which \yas debated last week in the General Assembly. Therefore, any effort to settle the Middle East crisis should concentrate on that issue. There are two essential factors in any such effort: first, the big Powers must shoulder their major respon':' sibilities regarding the solution of this issue; secondly, the PLO, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, must play an active part in all the efforts to achieve a settlement of the crisis. 43. We want to reaffirm our conviction that it is the duty of the countries which bear the major responsibility for the creation of the Palestine issue to be the first to recognize the PLO and to recognize that there can be no permanent peace and no just and comprehensive settlement until they themselves embark upon the right course, which is to address the 45. First, the resolutions which the PLO is requested to recognize before any dialogue is conducted with it are resolutions which were adopted to deal with a certain situation arising in the Middle East, not to solve the Palestinian issue itself. The demand for the recog- nition of those resolutions in isolation from all the other innumerable ones that have been adopted on the question of Palestine itself is therefore at best sus- picious. 46. Secondly, we doubt the value of insisting on the recC'gnition of a certain resolution or principle before the hoiding of a dialogue, because the value of such a resolution or principle lies in the commitment to it and not ~n the recognition of it. We have seen h4lw Israel, which recognized Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), has totally. nullified such recognition by unilaterally taking the. decision to annex Jerusalem and the Syrian Golan Heights without waiting for a settlement of the Middle East crisis on the basis of those two resolutions. Moreover, the signing by Israel of the Camp David agreements did not prevent it from disregarding the one relating to the occupied territories in the West Bank and Gaza. 47. Third!y, the insistence by those countries, par- ticularly the United States, on attempts to exclude the basic solution, which recognizes the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to estab- lish its own State on the soil of its fatherland, or to exclude negotiations with the sole legitimate rep- resentative of the Palestinian people, as recognized by the absolute majority of the countries of the world, demonstrates that the United States is still under the illusion that it can freeze the basic question of Pal- estine by seeking solutions through what could be termed, to say the least, a futile policy of patch- work. 48. On 29 November, we celebrated the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Last week, we discussed the question of Palestine. At that time, my delegation requested the United States to take a step in the right direction by recognizing the PLO [87th meeting] and starting a dialogue with it. We renew that appeal now on the basis that refusal to face the basic issues and to deal with the principal parties has, throughout the past 35 years, been the main cause ofthe continuance ofthe bloody events and the explosive situation, and consequently of the instability in that vital region of the world. We there- aggres~;or in its constant attempt~ to justify its politi- cal line in international forums, in blocking United Nations efforts tCl take steps against the aggressor's crimes and in pursuing a policy of dividing the Arab States. The separate Carol' David agreements con- cluded in 1978 and advertised as a ""triumph for peace" were in fa~t nothing more than a typical manreuvre of the imperialist policy of neo-colonialism. Those agreements pitted Arab countries against each other; they excluded a solution to the question of Palestine and foreshadowed the impasse in all other spheres. Far from bringing peace closer, that operat~on opened the way for the establishment of a direct United States political and military presence in the Middle East region. Practically speakh'g, the Camp David deal only gave a green light to new acts by Israel against Arab countries and peoples. whose common front was undermined and weakened. 54. Israel's aggressive political line is materially guaranteed by the financial and military support of its protector across the Atlantic. More than $2 billion annually, the most sophisticated weaponry and military technology constantly feed the bloodthirsty adventures of Tel Aviv. The Middle East has literally become a testing-ground for the tactics and the military arsenal of imperialism with~n the framework of its global strategy. 55. The similarity of the major economic, political and military objectives of Tel Aviv and Washington in that region is at the heart of their strategic alliance. Within the framework of that alliance, one of the parties intends to push all events in that region into the orbit of its strategy of world hegemony. The other party hopes for the lasting achievement of its chau- vinistic and expansionist ambitions and~ together with its more powerful ally, hopes to be able to dic!.ate the fate ofpeoples in that part ofthe world. Israel is openly banking on the constant s!1pport of the United States when it throws down the gauntlet to the United Nations, in the hope that its crimes will remain un- punished. 56. In this context, my delegation cannot consider the latest plan for a settlement in the Middle East put forward by the United States Government as anything other than an element in its political and mili- tary strategy in that region. That plan excludes the creation of an independent Palestinian State. It does not allow for the participation of the PLO in a peaceful Sovi~t Union for a comprehensive settlement of the Middle East crisis, in particular a solution to the Pa1pstinian problem. That initiative enjoys br(\ad inter- natlvnal support. Its major provisions are in complete agreement with the principies adopted by the Arab countries at th:. Twelfth Arab Summit Conference, held at Fez. 59. In accordance with that position, the People's Republic of Bulgaria has made and will continue to make every effort it can to ensure a peaceful and just solution to this conflict and the establishment of lasting peace and security in that sorely tried region. 60. Mr. AL-QASIMI (United Arab Emirates) (infer- pretation from Arabic): I should like, at the beginning of my statement, to express my delegation's gratitude to the Secretary-General for the very useful report that he has submitted on the situation in the Middle East and related questions. 61. A rapid perusal of the report [A/37/525] shows how far Israel has gon~ in its violation and defiance of United Nations resolutions, in particular those of the Security Council. The report also shows that, unfor- tunutely, many negative positions have been taken by one of the permanent members of the Security Council, positions that have prevented the Council from adopting more effective measures to compel Israel to respect and implement its resolutions. 62. The situation in the Middle East is deteriorating daily, not because the peoples of the Middle East are experiencing only violence and chaos but, rather, be- cause they have found themselves obliged to defend themselves and resist aggression continuously ever 65. The sufferings ofthe Palestinian people as a result of the systematic Israeli terrorism have no precedent. in the history of the world. In the discussion of human dghts thrm.\ghout the world, we must not forget th~ rights of the Palestinians who are kiHed because they dare to cast a stone against the occupying Power, who see their homes destroyed because they have a brother or a son who is suspected of being involved in the resistance to the occupation. The Pall;:stinian people see their elected representatives eliminated or attacked because they reject occup~tion; they see their books confiscated and their schools and universities closed for months because they have shown their opposition or expressed their opinions. This inhuman behaviour reveals the racist character of zionism, which seeks to destroy the Palestinian people, to compel them to leave their hnd and to turn them into stateless people-in short, if the opportunity arises, to eliminate them, as demonstrated by the massacres at the Sabra and Shatila camps. 66. Today, the General Assembly is asked to ensure justice and equity for those people. It is invited to support them in their struggle to defend theirexistence, their land and their dignity un,til sucb time as they recover all their rights. We wish to thank the Assembly for the moral support which it gives the Palestinian people, but that support in itself is not enough. Suffice it to note how far Israel has gone in its persecution of the Palestinian people, trampiing under foot the countless resolutions on the question -of Palestine. 67. The Israeii aggression against Lebanon has shown once again the hegemonic and expansionist intentions of Israel, despite its desperate attempts to deceive the world about its security needs. The peo'p~e and the creation of an Israeli State in Palestine to b~comea homeland for all Jews the world over, there would hardly be any problem in the Middle East. 71. The Zionist dream for the r~alizationofa Greater Israel and the usurpation of Arab territories and Arab resources is no longer a secret now. In accordance with Zionist ideology, Israel has begun one war after another to occupy Palestinian lands and other Arab lands as well. Today, in the occupied Arab territo- ries, Israel is exercising every single horrible form of violence and intimidation. Israel is confiscating territo- 1~~ri~e~s,~ creati.ng settJ~ments and pursuing economic, Uni~ed Nations resolution. It has consecrated its policy of aggression and racism, taking no account of the humanitarian ideologies, principles. and purposes which gave rise to the creation of the world Organ- ization. 73. The Zionist entity would not have been able to pursue such a policy at all and display such arrogance without the unlimited support given it by imperialist circles. Without the economic, military and political support of the United States, Israel would never have been able. to defy the international community and violate the resolutions of the United Nat!ons. United States complicity with the Zionist entity is one of the major challenges hurled at the Arab nation, with the sole aim of protecting imperialist interests and thwarting any Arab liberation mo'.'ement. Israel has taken on tlle role defined for it. ~srael is aiways assured of American support, and the United States is now opening its military arsenals even more to Israel, giving it all kinds ofsophisticated weaponry to sow death and de'struction in oc~upied Arab territories. 74. The United States is making the Security Council into an instrument incapable of 'issuading Israel and of enacting sanctions against it anft its expansionist policy which is a threat to the sovereignty of States, to the security of the region and to world peace. The United States has tried to hoodwink international opinion by claiming to play the role of mediator in the search for a peaceful and equitable solution. Attempts to count on the American role and the Reagan plan and to cling to the decisions of the Fez Arab Summit Conference do not at all serve the Arab cause, inter- ests or rights. 75. The true character' of Israel and its aggressive designs have long been clear and are becoming even clearer. Hence, it is not at all surprising that the Zionist entity is strengthening its relations with the Pretoria minority regime because both those regimes are representative ofcolonialism and racism. The time has long passed when Zionist methods could be prac- tised .with impunity. Following the massacres at Deir Yassin and Kafr Kassem and, recently, at Sabra and Shatila, no one can doubt that all this is done in accord- ance with the barbaric nature of Zionist expansionism. Do we need further proof in order to punish Israel and apply sanctions? Must we wait until Israel gives us another Beirut? There must be no further occupation, liD more destruction, no more daily suffering by innocent people, including civilians, in the occupied territories who are resisting because oftheir determina- tion and because they love their homeland. All of this 77. We must take this path because decolonization is of great importance and is given pride of place in the Organization. The question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East have been the subject of many United Nations resolutions-indeed, more than on any other problem. Nevertheless, the Zionist entity has totally disregarded and defied those resolu- tions and has used force to try to exterminate the Palestinian people and its leadership, as represented by the PLO, and has continued to occupy Arab territories and use up their resources. It is high time that the international Organization discharged its responsibilities and implemented its resolutions. Par- tial and piecemeal solutions have shown themselves to be useless. A genuinely comprehensive ~ace can be achieved in the Middle East only through total and unconditional withdrawal by Israel from the occupied Arab territories and the restoration of the Arab Palestinian people's inalienable national rights to return to their homeland, to exercise self-determina- tion and to establish their own independent State on Palestinian soil. Without this, the Middle East will continue to be a hotbed of tension, thr~atening the stability of the region and international peace and security.

For a very long time now, a highly complex and explosive situation has been reigning in the Middle East. Imperialist-Zionist aggression against the Arab peoples and countries has gone on without respite for decades. Bloody wars unleashed by the Israeli Zionists have brought enormous damage and suffering to the Arab peoples and have often endangered peace and security in the wodd. In recent years, apart from the Arab-Israeli confrontation, we have witnessed out- breaks of other conflicts and tensions among the countries in the region. The imperialist super-Powers provoked the fratricidal conflict between Iraq and Iran. Extremely dangerous situations are also being created all around the Middle East. The most serious case in point is the Soviet aggression against and occupation of Afghanistan. Just a few days ago, in the debate on the question of Palestine, many delegations rightly pointed out that this year the situation in the region has become even more tense and disquieting. 80. The Arab peoples, and first and foremost ~he Palestinian people, have been constantly exposed Ito barbarous aggression by the Israeli Zionists and to the interference, treachery and intrigues ofthe two impe- rialist super-Powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, which have transformed the whole Middle East into a hotbed ofcontinuous wars, a zone ofpermanent danger for the Arab peop!es and for world peace and security. With the passing of time, imperialist-Zionist aggression has become more fierce. American-Soviet rivalry and deals have become more unremitting and more intense. Plots and intrigues have increased every- where unceasingly. Because of all this, the settlement of the problem of the Middle East has become in- creasingly difficult and now seems more unattainable than before. 81. Israel has profited greatly from the difficult and confused situations created in the Middle East. En- joying the generous economic, political, military and financial assistance of American imperialism, the Israeli Zionists have engaged in a continuous, un- limited escalation of their aggressive actions, of their expansionist and annexationist policy regarding Arab lands, have extended and intensified the genocidal practices against the Palestinian people and have en- deavoured to bring to their knees or to destroy one Arab country after another. 82. The bloody events that occurred this year in Lebanon after the unleashing of the barbarous war by the Israeli Zionists against that alread'y sorely tried and war-tom country marked the beginning of a new and extremely dangerous phase in the escalation of Zionist aggression and revealed even more clearly all the risks entailed in the lack of a just and final settlement of the question of Palestine and of the problem of the Middle East. The criminal nature of that war and its objectives were clearly shown even before it broke out. That war was no surprise to anyone. It was prepared before the eyes of the whole world day after day over a period of time by the Israeli Zionists and their masters, the American imperialists. It was obvious from the outset that what was involved was a large-scale wardesigned to drown in blood and to put an end to the Palestinian resistance~ to compel the Arab peoples to renounce their rights and their struggle to recover their territories occupied by Israel and to enable the Israeli Zionists to achieve new expan- sionist and annexationist objectives within the frame- work of efforts to create a Greater Israel. 83. The recent ordeal of the Lebanese people and of the Palestinians in Lebanon has provided yet one more unquestionable piece of evidence that the Arab ~eoples, and the Palestinian people in particular, are mor~ than ever before threatened by their enemies, and that their freedom, sovereignty and national rights are in seriousjeopardy. In his statement on 10 Novem- ber last on the occasion of the election of deputies to the People's Assembly of Albania, the leader of the Albanian people, Comrade Enver Hoxha, said: 84. Everyone knows full well that the two imperialist super-Powers are the bitter enemies of the Arab peoples and ofthe whole ofmankind. They are scarcely interested in the settlement of the .problem of the Middle East. All they do is to exacerbate the situation, create trouble and provoke conflict, in order more readily to assert their domination over that region rich in oil and so important strategically. That is why they have established military bases in the Middle East, have massed aggressive fleets in all the seas around the region and are trying to increase their military presence in oli'derto sustain their political and economic positions. The Middle East has become a huge market where the Americans and the Soviets sell large' quan- tities of weapons and make enormous profits, to say nothing of the other advantages they draw from their hegemonist policy. The friendship that one or the other super-Power offers to various countries in the Middle East does not benefit the cause of the Arab peoples. 85. American imperialism, which spares no effort to create the impression-afalse impression-that in its Middle East policy it increasingly takes into account the interests of the Arab countries, is always working to the detriment of those countries a.nd giving even more help to Israel, its gendarme and its depository of aggressive weapons in the Middle East. American imperialism envisages making of Israel the solid core around which it will unite all the reactionary forces capable of serving the interests of the United States. The strategic alliance concluded between the United States and Israel seeks, on the one hand, to support and encourage even further Israel's aggressiveness and expansionism and, on the ott~f;r, better to protect the interests of American imperialism. That alliance was conceived and established for the purpose of permanently intimidating the Arab peoples, black- mailing all the Muslim peoples and extending the field of action of the Israeli war machine throughout the Middle East. The piratical Zionist attack on Iraq's nuclear installation was the first example of the effects of that alliance. But the main objective of the strategic alliance is to stifle revolutionary movements and national liberation struggles. American imperialism suffered a crushing defeat with the triumph of the anti- imperialist revolution of the Iranian people, which destroyed one of the main pillars of American in- fluence in the Middle East, the regime of the Shah. 86. Thus, American imperialism has been and still is the avowed enemy of the Arab peoples. To escape the responsibility and the condemnation of the world for the crimes committed by the Israeli Zionists in Lebanon, the United States Government from time to time pretends to be angry with Israel and to disap- prove of some Zionist actions. But no hypocrisy can conceal the fact that the United States is an accomplice in those crimes. Nor can the United States mislead the Arab peoples by claiming that it is powerless to influence Israel because Israel does not always heed what it says. 87. The same applies to the anti-Arab plans and activi- ties of the Soviet social-imperialists, who have always encouraged and favoured Zionist aggression. The Soviet Union, like the United States, has caused enormous damage to the interests and rights of the Arab peoples. It seeks to make use of the antagonism between those peoples and American imperialism to pave the way for its own imperialist penetration and domination, at the expense 'of those peoples and their struggle against Zionist aggression. 88. The Soviet Union seeks to conceal its expan- sionist and hegemonistic objectives in the Middle East by banking on its name as a socialist State and friend of the Arab peoples. But who can truly believe that the Soviet Union sincerely supports the struggle of the Palestinian people and the other Arab peoples when the Soviet army of occupation is committing against the Afghan people crimes and massacres comparable to those of which the Arabs are victims? Can anyone forget how many times the Soviet Union has betrayed the Arab peoples and stabbed them in the back, and how many tens of thousands it has sent to Israel to become colonists in the occupied Arab lands or to serve &5 soldiers in the wars of aggression against the Arab fighters? 89. The rivalry and the wheeling and dealing of the two imperialist super-Powers in the Middle East have a long history. Many are the plots that they have hatched together or separately. At present, the United States is concentrating all its efforts on imposing the Camp David agreements as the only possible solution to the Middle East question, while holding in its hands the strings controlling the players in the web ofdiplomatic intrigue. In this way, it hopes to hold otT for as long as possible its Soviet rival, which has been more or less evicted. 90. Fortheir part, the Soviet social-imperialists never cease condemning the Camp David agreements and complaining of the violation by the Americans of the arrangements drawn upjointly, and demand a return to the practice ofjoint American-Soviet plots in the Mid- 92. However, with a long experience of fighting that kind of manreuvre, the Arab peoples know full well that the path to the achievement of their rights and to the settlement of the question of Palestine and that of the situation in the Middle East neces- sarily involves a resolute struggle against Zionist aggression and firm opposition to the interference and conspiracies of the imperialist super-Powers. The Socialist People's Republic ofAlbaniaand the Albanian people will energetically support, as always, the just struggle of the Arab peoples to free their territories, restore the national rights of the Palestinian people, and defend their liberty and the independence of their countries.

All who cherish the interests of peace and security the world over must feel deep concern and alarm over the continuingexplosive situation in the Middle East. It has now become common to refer to that region as a flash-point of our planet. Over an historically short period of time, the Middle East has suffered five wars, whose flames have consumed ten~ of thousands of human lives. 94. We note with sadness that over the past year the Middle East has not taken one step closer to peace and calm. On the contrary, as a result of another Israeli aggression, new seeds of enmity and hatred have been sown there. The occupation of Arab lands continues, and the territory of long-suffering Lebanon has been added to the list. The inalienable rights of the Arab people of Palestine are still not enjoyed by that p.eople, which is deprived of the possibility of exercising its right to self-determination and to establish its own independent State. The sover- eignty and security of Arab countries in the Middle East are subjected to increasing threat. 95. The major responsibility'for the maintenance of a hotbed of tension in the Middle East is borne by the ruling circles of Israel and their protectors across the ocean. Over many years, Tel Aviv has been pursuing an aggressive policy of expansion and genocide towards the Arab people of Palestine. In this connec- tion, the Zionist top brass of Israel has blatantly been s~tflel1lent, Tel Aviv is pursuing an openly obstruc- tionist policy, sabotaging the implementation of basic Gimeral Assembly and Security Council resolutions on the Middle East and torpedoing any peaceful initiatives aimelfat ajust settlement of tile Middle East problem. The Israeli leaders not only stubbornly refuse to recog- nize the legitimate national rights ofthe Arab people of Palestine but carry out direct attempts at the physical annihilation of the PLO and, in the final analysis, the entire'Palestinian people. On the trumped-up excuse of the so-called ensuring of its own security, Tel Aviv is pursuing a policy of colonization and annexation of Arab lands seized in 1967. 97. Having declared the annexation ofE&st Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, the Israeli leaders are not concealing their far-reaching plans for other Arab territories-the West Bank of the Jordan and the Gaza Strip. A daily norm of Israel's occupation policy is the systematic mass expulsion of the indigenous Arab population, the destruction of the homes of Arabs, the expropriation oftheir property and the construction of Israeli settlements. The feverish efforts of the Israeli authorities to settle and colonize the occupied territories are accompanied by an escalation of terror, violence and mass repression against the Arab popula- tion. . 98. There can be no doubt that Israel would not have been able to act in such a brazen and provocative manner if it had not enjoyed the comprehensive assist- ance and support of the United States. From the very beginning of the State of Israel's existence, ,its econ- omy has had a steady and substantial flow of loans, credits and subsidies from the Government of the United States, investments by American monopolies and contributions by Zionist organizations. Wash- ington is no less actively pursuing a policy of en- couraging Israel's militarist machine. The Israeli army has been provided with the latest American armaments and military technology,which underlie the material and technological basis for Tel Avi~'s aggression against the Arab States. As we all know, during the aggression in Lebanon, Israel made broad use of the latest American-produced destructive weaponry, causing great losses among the population of Lebanon and the Palestinian refugees. 99. Along with generous military and economic sup- port, the United States is lending Israel broad politi- cal and diplomatic support. The efforts of American diplomacy are inevitably directed towards one goal: concealing the crimes of its Israeli protege and pre- venting the adoption by the Security Council of measures for thwarting the aggressor. We see this once again at the current session of the General Assembly. This is nothing other than outright collusion with the aggressor in its expansionist policy. In actual practice, the so-called special relations which have been established between Washington and Tel Aviv are an American-Israeli military-political alliance directed against Arab peoples and against the national liberation movements in the Middle East. 100. The current United States Administration, throwing off any type of camouflage, has taken up 113. In this regard, the General Assembly-at its resumed seventh emergency special session-and the Security Council together adopted no less than 17 resolutions. However, these actions were defied by Israel in its contemptuous utter disregard of the will ofthe international community and the moral authority of the Organization. 114. Based on the foregoing, the undeniable reality is that the situation in the region has undergone a drastic deterioration which has created even more difficult circumstances, thereby separating us further from our ultimat~goal ofajust and lasting peace in the Middle East. Thus, all the discussions that have taken , place this year have been concerned with achieving a cessation of hostilities and a return to a situation which existed prior 'to their outbreak, rather than with pro- gress towards an ultimate solution. 115. It is important to stress that Israel's invasion and continued occupation of large areas of Lebanon, its annexation of the Golan Heights and the declara- tion ofJerusalem'as its capital, its imposition ofcivilian rule in the other occupied territories and its intensified oppression of the Arab population do not in any way alter the basic principles for a comprehensive settle- ment enumerated at the beginning of my statement. 116. Alas, the only obstacle to the establishment of the c\lnditions for a just and lasting peace re~ains Israeli intransigence. Israel has long engaged in the practice of forcing one crisis after another upon the international community to keep it off balance, thereby forcing us also to deal constantly with imme- 119. While the tragedy in Lebanon can never be justified, it has led to a heightened sen~e of urgency and realism. In this regard, my delegation has noted an initiative ofcertain States Members which, although falling short of complying with the fundamental ele- ments, none the less reflects a new orientation and a greater willingness to view the realities in the region and to co-operate with the international community. Therefore, the increase in world solidarity, taken together with the unified Arab stance adopted recently at the Twelfth Arab Summit Conference, held at Fez, which my delegation fully supports, should serve as a warning to Israel that it can no longer act with impunity and that it must agree to negotiations on the basis of the numerous resolutions adopted by the United Nations. 120. My delegation hopes that this momentum generated in the aftermath of the invasion of Lebanon will not be allowed to dissipate but will lead to concrete action to compel Israel to conform to the will. of the international community.

For the past 15 years, the United Nations has been considering the situation in the Arab territo- ries occupied by Israel since the June 1967 war. During those years, the Security Council and General Assembly, up to its thirty-sixth session, have adopted many resolutions calling for the immediate withdrawal of the Israeli forces from those occupied territories. Towards the end of the present session, we are discussing not only the fact that Israel has not complied with United Nations resolutions but also, and above Palestine. 130. This defiance is not apparent only in the refusal 123. In the face ofIsrael's stubborn refusal to comply to comply with United Nations resolutions on the with the resolutions of the General Assembly and Middle East and the question of Palestine, for Israel the Security Council, the international community has has not complied with any of the resolutions which reaffirmed this every year. This year alone, the seventh have accumulated in the past 35 years, with the emergency special session has been resumed four times exception of General Assembly resolution 181 (11), and the General Assembly has reaffirmed its earlier which reiates to the creation of the State of Israel. resolutions relating to the principle of the inadmis- Indeed, even in that case, Israel lost no time in turning sibility of the acquisition of territory by force and the against that resolution and treating it with the same applicability of all the provisions of the ~ague CC?n- disregard as other United Nations resolutions,.because vention of 19075 and the Genev~ Convention relative it provides at the same time for the creation o~ a to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, Palestinian State in the West Bank, the Gaza Strap, of 12 August 19493 to all the territories occupied by which includes the city of AI-Quds al-Sharif and other Israel since 1967. parts of Palestine occupied by Israel since 1947. 124. The General Assembly has also demanded that 131. Nevertheless, this flagrant defiance is most Israel comply with the provisions of Security Council apparent in the declaration of Jerusalem of 2 Se~tem- resolution 465 (1980) and with all the resolutions ber 1982 in response to the proposals of PreSident relating to Jerusalem. Furthermore, the Assemb!y.has Ronald Reagan concerning the Middle East problem. condemned all policies that prevent the Palestmlans In that statement, the Government of Menachem from exercising their inalienable rights. The Assembly Begin reaffirmed its devotion to what it calls the basic will undoubtedly reaffirm those resolutions at the principles of that Government. conclusion of the current debate, since they have not yet been implemented. 132. First, Jerusalem is one indivisible city, the 125. Ifthe Israeli attitude is responsible for the failure eternal capital of Israel. of the efforts of the General Assembly, particularly 133. Secondly, Israel is determined to fulfil its respon- during the resumed seventh emergency special session, sibility for the internal an~ external security of the the efforts of the Security Council have also had no West Bank and the Gaza Strip. chance of succeeding. The Councirs efforts have three times been frustrated because the United States has 134. Thirdly, the settlement ofthe West Bank and the exercised its right of veto at the most critic.al m~ment Gaza Strip is an inalienable Jewish right and is part in the Middle East crisis. This enabled Israel to Ignore and parcel of the national security of Israel. Security Council resolutions 508 (1982) and 509 (1982) 135. Fourthly, autonomy applies to inhabitants and to invade Lebanese territory, penetrating as far as and not to lands. Beirut The Council, confronted with the United States veto, ~as powerless not only to stop th~ Isr~eli in- 136. Fifthly, it is the right of Israel to extend its vasion but even merely to condemn the mvaslon by sovereignty over the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. 143. It is now clear that the Israeli authorities have decided to act against the spirit and letter of that resolution. The events that have occurred in the Middle East in recent years· show that Israeli actions have taken the form of aggression: aggression against the Palestinian people, its existence, its personality, its culture, its land and its territory; aggression against all the countries in the region, against Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Jordan; aggression against the Iraqi nuclear installations-which means 144. The invasion of Lebanon and the resulting suf- fering and destmction imposed on Lebanon and the Palestinian refugees have revealed, if that were neces- sary, the true nature of Israel and have proved; to those who persist in disregarding it or pretend not to recognize it, the fact that Israel is not a peaceful State and that it has failed to fulfil its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and the resolution by which it was admitted to the Organiza- tion. In fact, the invasion of Lebanon and the genocide perpetrated against the Palestinian people in Sabra and Shatila have destroyed all the claims and lies inculcated through repetition of malicious propaganda. 145. The hour of truth has at last sounded for all those who during these past years bave encouraged Israel by closing their eyes to its practices in the occupied territories, to its refusal to recognize the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, to the annexation of the occupied Arab territories, to its continued policy of colonization, to its annexation of Golan, to its proclamation of Jerusalem as its capital, to the oppression of the inhabitants of the occupied territories, to the attack on the Iraqi nuclear instal- lations, to its repeated attacks and incursions into Lebanese territory, to its unprecedented contempt for the United Nations and to its refusal to implement Security Council resolutions-to mention but a few of its constant challenges to the conscience of the entire world, and in particular to thu decisions and the credibility of the Organization and all its institu- tions. 146. Those who protect Israel and provide it with generous aid and comfort through misplaced compre- hension or the unjustified use of the right of veto, despite the successive incidents of this escalation of aggression, are in part responsible for the situation prevailing in the Middle East today. To them my Government addresses an appeal to shoulder their spe- cial responsibilities in the light of their situation and the prerogatives conferred on them by the Charter. 147. The time has come to do justice to the Palestin- ian people and the whole region by finding a just and lasting solution to the Palestine problem, a sine qua non for any solution to the Middle East conflict. For its part, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania will endorse any solution which, in its view, is based on the following principles: first, the exercise by the Palestinian people of all its legitimate national rights, including its right to establish its own independent State on its land, Palestine; secondly, the withdrawal of Israel from all the occupied territories, including Jerusalem; and lastly, the participation on an equal footing by all the parties to the conflict, including the PLO, the legitimate and sole representative of the Palestinian people. 148. My country rejects all the partial agreements or treaties which do not fall within the context of a comprehensive solution in which all the parties to the conflict take part, including the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, the PLO. ~nsist that the only solution to the Palestinian p!'ob- lem-that is, the only durable solution-which by extension could also greatly contribute to the search for a comprehensive solution to the problem of the Middle East as a whole, is the total decolonization by Israel of the West Bank and Gaza and the crea- tion therein ofan independent State ofPalestine. Israel must be made to understand that it cannot be entitled to what it denies the Palestinian people-that is, the right to exist in freedom, peace and security' in an independent country of their own. A biased revision of the history of Palestine by Israel or by anybody else can only delay the dawn of a new era of reconcilia- tion in that war-torn area. Neither the Bible nor the I<oran contains the solution to the Middle East problem. 155. The war between Iraq and Iran is also of great concern to us. The area affected by the war is one of the most important strategic places in the world. It veritably contains the spark likely to set the world aflame. Stored therein is the oil over which the super- Powers in particular occasionally threaten to exchange blows. 156. Wc are not interested in apportioning blame for that meaningless war to any of the belligerents. We want only to register the fact that, in our view, the war has outlived wha~ver usefulness or meaning- fulness, if any, it might have had two years ago. Surely Iraq and Iran must realize that a war which does not end and shows no signs of ending is an exercise in futility. If there were any scores against each other which the two countries sought to settle two years ago when the war began, surely such scores must be considered more than settled, or will never be settled. Two years of a blood-letting, inconclusive and see-sawing war are more than enough for the people of the two countries to endure. 157. The Middle East has more than enough problems already and needs no more. All efforts in the area should be devoted to the dangerously festering wound which the P.alestinian tragedy has become. 158. Lebanon remains occupied by Israeli troops. That poor country is not being left alone to rediscover itself, to give its people, who have suffered so long, 160. With regard to recent military developments in the region and the United Nations peace-keeping operation there, I should like to take this opportunity to reiterate Nigeria's unequivocal condemnation of Israel's invasion of Lebanon in June and the sub- sequent ~illing of innocent and unarmed civilians in Beirut. Equally, we strongly condemn and deplore the massacre which took place at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps when Israel again aided and abetted the cold-blooded murder of Palestinian refugees and other civilians. These events have undoubtedly made the attainment of a durable peace in the Middle East increasingly difficult. As the Secretary-General has rightly observeo in his report, the area was generally quiet until the cease-fire, which had generally held in the area for about a year, was tragically broken by the Israeli invasion in June. 161. In this connection, it is pertinent to note that the activities ofthe three United Nations peace-keeping operations in Lebanon had helped in keeping the peace. But those peace-keeping. efforts were undermined and gravely impaired by the Israeli invasion which, in effect, rendered meaningless the whole basis of the peace-keeping operations in Lebanon. As one of the countries that has contributed troops to UNIFIL, the Nigerian Government viewed these military developments with great concern. It was rightly con- cerned about the arrogant manner in which Israeli forces overran UNIFIL units in what was essentially a clear violation of t~e cease-fire arrangements and of UNIFIL's mandate to maintain peace in Lebanon. The subsequent injection ofthe so-called multinational force in·Lebanon, outside the auspices of the United Nations, was also viewed by us with great concern, 162. As a result of these negative developments and trends, Nigeria has, after a very careful review of the military situation in Lebanon, decided to withdraw its troops from Lebanon at the end ofUNIFIL's current mandate there, which expires on 19 January 1983. It was with great reluctance and with a deep sense of responsibility that Nigeria took this decision, despite the fact that it has always been ready and willing to participate in United Nations peace-keeping' opera- tions. Nigeria's withdrawal is in protest against the blatant and flagrant manner in which Israeli forces invaded Lebanon and overran United Nations forces there. Israel's action was most reprehensible, and Nigeria felt it right in the circumstances to reconsider the further utility of UNIFIL operations in Lebanon. I should like to say that Nigeria will always stand ready, if asked, to contribute its quota to any United Nations peace-keeping operations, in fulfilment of its international obligations. But this must be on the under- standing that other interested parties and States will conduct themselves with the utmost restraint and wil refrain from doing anything that may exacerbate the situation. In the particular case of Lebanon, Israel could nDt even be persuaded to lift its blockade of Beirut in order to permit the dispatch of urgently needed relief supplies. Nor did it pay any attention to several Security Council resolutions demanding an immediate cease-fire and its withdrawal from Lebanon. Israel continues to bear a heavy political and moral responsibility not only for the tragic situation in the Middle East, but also for its persistent undermining of aH international efforts to bring peace to the region. 163. With regard to the situation in the occupied Arab territories, to which the Secretary-General alluded in his report, my Government fully supports General Assembly resolution 36/147, of 16 December 1981, which reaffirms the illegality of the Israeli occupation of those territories, particularly the Syrian Golan Heights, the West Bank and Jerusalem. In addition, Nigeria fully supports the demand that Israel should comply with the provisions of part B of that resolution, which requests it to desist forthwith from taking any action which would result in changing the geographical nature or demographic composition of those territories. 164. As is well known, Israel has continued to ignore all those resolutions and is pressing ahead with its plan to establish Jewish settlements in the occupied Arab territories. Need I add that it is the conviction of my Government that Israel's continued occupation of Arab territories constitutes a continuing threat to inter- national peace and security and that this defiance of both General Assembly and Security Council resolu- tions is unacceptable to the international community? Like the racist regime of South Africa with which it is often rightly equated, Israel continues to undermine and weaken the whole basis of international peace and security by its arrogant and wilful defiance of all the resolutions and decisions ofthis Assembly. I might add that Nigeria, as a demonstration of its displeasure with Israel's policies in the Middle East and in com- pliance with General Assembly resolution ES-9/1,of 175. In this cuntext, the Holy City of Jerusalem is the most significant example of illegal Israeli acts in occupied Arab territories. AI-Quds has suffered vari- ous attempts to erase its authentic Arab character and to destroy or change its demographic, cultural and religious structures, with the obvious aim of making it completely Jewish. While this has been going on, the Holy Places in AI-Quds have in their turn been sub- jected to frequent acts of desecration, provoking the consternation and revulsion of the whole Islamic Ummah. The unilateral proclamation ofAI-Quds as the unified and eternal capital of Israel was an illegal act, unanimously condemned by the Security Council, which, furthermore, declared it null and void. 169. The neighbouring Arab countries, which first had to bear the crushing burden of hundreds of thousands of refugees expelled by the Israeli aggres- sion, had in their turn to face up to the periodic military expeditions organized by the Israeli leaders, under various pretexts but with the same objective of obtaining living space by the acquisition by force of new territories and by drawing new boundaries by means of Israel's illegal, unilateral decisions. 170. What has become of what were the frontiers of Palestine when the Territory was still under the British Mandate? What has become of the demarcation lines fixed by the United Nations itself when the Organiza- 176. This annexationist policy, typically colonial in character, has been further confirmed by the irrespon- 182. The Fez plan, which has been distributed as an official docum~nt of the General Assembly and the Security Council under the symbol A/37/696-S/15510, is based on the following principles: the withdrawal of Israel from all Arab territories occupied by it in 1967, including Arab AI-Quds; the dismantling of the settlements established by Israel in the Arab territories after 1967; the guaranteeing of freedom of worship and practice of religious rites for all religions in the Holy Places; the reaffirmation of the Palestinian peo- pie's right to self-determination and to the exercise of its imprescriptible and inalienable national rights, under the leadership of the PLO, its sole and legiti- mate representative, and the indemnification of all ~te time give the Palestinian people the place due to them in the community of free and sovereign peoples in the region. 185. Never has the Arab desire for ajust and equitable peace in the Middle East been so deep, so obvious and so determined. This Arab determination, which was expressed before the Assembly by His Majesty King Hassan 11, the President of the Twelfth Arab Summit Conference, in lofty, frank and clear terms, full of conviction, is a well-considered determination, free ofall circumstantial influences-a responsible and sober determination which requires from the United Nations and all the Powers able to alter the course of history in the region a similar attitude of realistic understanding of the facts of the problem and a similar commitment to opening up in the Mi4dle Ea'st a new era based on peace, justice and mutual respect for the fundamental rights of States, including an inde- pendent and sovereign Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital, under the auspice8 ofthe United Nations and with specific Security Council guarantees. 186. Mr. GOKCE (Turk~y): The year 1982 has been marked by mom~ntous and tragic events in the Middle East. The invasion of Lebanon by Israel has high- lighted in a compelling manner the imperative charac- ter and added to the urgency of some of the long- standing realities about the Arab-Israeli conflict. The internat~onal community is more cognizant today than it ever was before of the need to find a just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine, as a fun- damental step towards a comprehensive settlement in the Middle East. 187. In the wake of every great tragedy there is a respite and a time for reflection. The Arab Palestin- ian and Lebanese peoples have paid a terrible price, and their suffering will for ever weigh on the con- science of mankind. Their supreme sacrifices will not be redeemed, however, until the Arab Palestinians are given their homel~ld and that of the Lebanese people is restored to them. The time is perhaps propi- tious for making peace, but it is also short. The present opportunity cannot be sustained for long unless a convincing and effective peace-making process is put in motion. 188. Owing to the absence of peace, the danger of armed confrontation is always present in the Middle 194. If the cmTent possibility of a settlement in the region is to have any real chance at all, Israel must shoulder its prime responsibility. Israel must ponder the future and realize that force cannot for ever serve as the exclusive instrument of security and recog- nition; that Israel's desire for peace needs to be complemented by Israel's deeds; that the Arab Pal- estinian people is entitled to a homeland and a State of its own; that Israel cannot liquidate the Arab Palestin- ian cause through its illegal policies of occupation, annexation, repression and settlements; that it is in the best interests of Israel to come to terms with the realities of the Middle East situation rather than con- stantly attempt to transform them at tremendous cost and suffering to its people and to the Arabs. Israel must pay heed to the fact that members of the international community, including Turkey, consider Israel's unilateral actions to be null and void, whether they relate to Jerusalem or to the Syrian Goian Heights. 189. The people and Government of Turkey have al- ways provided steady support to proponents ofjustice, peace and stability in that turbulent region where Turkey itself is located. We have never wavered in our belief in and our support for the legitimacy of the national struggle of the Arab Palestinian pr~ple for their inalienable rights. At the same time, we have stated unequivocally that every State in the region has the right to live wnthin secure and recognized boundaries. The Government of Turkey is of the view that for any solution in the Middle East 10 be fair, its core must consist of the recognition of the inalien- able rights of the Arab Palestinian people, including their right to establish an independent State in their own homeland. Surely the most indispensable con- dition for the realization of the Arab Palestinian cause is the withdrawal of Israel from all the Arab territories occupied since 1967. including Jerusalem. The pres- ervation of the unique and historical character of the Holy City of Jerusalem and respect for its special status are also an essential ingredient of a comprehen- sive settlement. '195. The restoration of peace and stability in the , Middle East requires the participation of all the parties in the conflict, including the PLO, the representative of the Arab Palestinian people. For any settlement to he fair and lasting, it must be acceptable to all the parties concerned. For a peace-making process to be effective, all the principal parties must agree to sit tugether and negotiate. 190. In this context, ',ye must also renew our call for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Lebanon whose presence there is not wanted by the Lebanese Government. Lebanon's independence~ soven~ignty, 196. Mr. SILWAL (Nepal): The situation in the territorial integrity and unity should be fully restored Middle East has been posing a challenge to the without delay, and the talented people of Lebanon Organization for the last 35 years. Year after year, must once again be allowed, without the influence it is debated in the General Assembly and resolutions of external constraints, to demonstrate their re- are adopted. Regrettably, however, the situation has markable abilities at national reconcmation and in remained as explosive as ever, and a ~omprehensive achieving progress and creativity. settlement acceptable to all the parties concerned is 191. Earlier in our statement, we referred to the still as elusive. It has caused untold sufferings to the existence at this time ofa configuration of the relevant people in the region. Also at stake are the fabric of regional and international dynamics and modalities the civilized relationship between one State and an- that we feel is potentially favourable for a genuine other and the credibility and effectiveness ofthe world breakthrough for peace in the Middle East. In recent Organization. The United Nations has served and years, there has not been a mor,~ sustained effort and saved peace in a number of crises, and Nepal is not generalized concern for settling the Arab-Israeli con- going to doubt for a moment that it could do so on this flict than there exists at present. particular question. We are still firm in our conviction that a comprehensive settlement must be found, and 192. The United States plan put forward by President can be found, within the framework of the purposes Reagan, l which we have welcomed, contains elements and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. that could contribute significantly to the elaboration of a framework for future negotiations cifficmg the par- 197., First, the edifice of peace in the Middle East, ties concerned. The United States initiative is worthy if it is to be just, lasting and comprehensive, must of serious consideration. We also note with deep be founded on the legitimate interests and aspirations appreciation the declaration of the Twelfth Arab of all States and peoples in the region. The inalienable Summit Conference, held at Fez. The principles right ofthe Palestinian people to self-determinationand delineated in that declaration represent a common to participate in the overall peace negotiations must be§.: I position on the part of the Arar/) countries and reflect recognized. The Palestinian people constitute an i their genuine desire to attain ~. balanced and realistic important element of the Middle East problem and the solution in the interest of an States in the region. PLO is their sole representative. This reality and the ; We commend this responsible and constructive Palestinian people's aspirations, as well as their right l2~~:~::~---' r~ace plan. Nepal welcomes as a positive step the serious efforts being made on the basis of those proposals towards the achievement of a just, lasting and comprehensive solution of the problem. My dele- gation renews its appeal to all parties concerned to break the cycle ef mistrust and violence. The impact that peace and stability in the Middle East will have on international peace and security could hardly be over-emphasized. 202. Mr. DIACONU (Romania) (interpretation from French): During the period since the previous debates on the situation in the Middle East grave events have occurred which have affected the peace, security and independence of the peoples of that region and endangered the peace and security ef the entire world. This situation, which arose above all from Israel's aggressive actions against Lebanon and against the Palestinian population on Lebanese territory, has further worsened the international political climate and engendered deep concern on the part of the entire international com'munity. 203. In the absence of the long-awaited compre- hensive political solution of the Palestinian problem and the security arrangements necessary to ensure the conditions for free and independent development and for mutual co-operation, the peoples of the Middle East have continued to be subjected to the baneful consequences of new confrontation and military actions. 204. Israel's aggressive actions in Lebanon and the massacres in the Palestinian refugee camps, which were strongly condemned by the Romanian Govern- ment and people, as by other States and peoples, testify once again to the fact that the situation in the Middle East cannot be solved by military means, that war solves no problems, but rather further in- creases tension and further complicates the search for a solution by creating the pre-conditions of new armed conflicts and confrontation. Such actions have particu- larly exacerbated the situation in the Middle East, 209. It is known that, since the beginning of the conflict, Romania and its President have worked un- ceasingly to bring about a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East which would lead to the withdrawal by Israel from the territories occupied following the 1967 war and the recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to create their own independent State, with a guarantee of t~e independence and sovereignty ofall States in the regIOn. 210. We have frequently emphasized that, on the basis of the principle of the inadmissibility of the ac- quisition of territory by force, the achievement of peace in the Middle East must be firmly founded on Israel's withdrawal from all Arab and Palestinian ter- 213. Faithful to its position of principle on the settle- 218. In the present international circumstances, ment of conflicts through negotiations among the par- President Nicolae Ceau~escu emphasized, in his mes- ties concerned, our country has advocated and con- sage of 29 November to the President of the Gen~ral tinues to advocate that the PLO, the sole legitimate Assembly and the Secretary-General on the occasIon representative of the Palestinia~ people, sh0l!ld ofthe Intt:rnational Day ofSolidarity with the Palestin- take part in the process of the solutIon of the Palestm.. ian People that: ian problem and in all negotiations on the settlement of the Middle East situation. "It is more necessary than ever to demonstrate reason arid political wisdom, to look facts squarely 214. We feel that a settlement meeting the interests in the face and t<{begin a real and sustained dialogue and legitimal~ aspirations of all the ~tates and peoples between all the parties to the conflict, so that we can in the area also presupposes the nght to eXIstence, truly commence an effective process for an effective independence and sovereignty .of each Stat~ in the comprehensive solution to the conflict. It is neces- region, which would make pOSSIble the establIshment sary, first of all, that all the Israeli troops be with- of co-operation, confidence 'and mutual respect be- drawn from Lebanon to ensure Lebanon's inde- tween all the States and peoples of the area. pendence and unity and the Lebanese people's peace 215. For our country, which has consistently acted and tranquillity."4 to bring about a comprehensive, just and lasting settle- 219. Expressing Romania's constant concern to s~e a ment of the situation in the Middle East in order to just peace in the Middle East, the message pomts overcome the crisis and to move from miiitary confron- out that political and diplomatic activities, including tation to political negotiations, it is reason for satis- those in the United Nations, must be redoubled at the faction that recently a series of proposals and drafts same time, with a view to convening, under United concerning peace in the Middle East have be~n for- Nations auspices, an international conference with the mulated outlining new approaches and expressmg the participation of all States and of all the parties con- desire t~ make progress towards a political solution.. cerned, including the PLO-the sole legitimate rep- We see here confirmation of the justice of Romania's resentative of the Palestinian people-as well as the well-known position on the question of the resolution Soviet Union and the United States, and other States of the Arab-Israeli conflict, which we have main- which can make a positive contribution to the settle- tained from the beginning, and we feel that such pro- ment of the Middle East conflict. posals engender the conditions for the intensification of political and diplomatic activities to bring about 220. We are firmly convinced that the United Nations peace in the Middle East. can and must play a more active role in efforts to settle the Arab-Israeli conflict and to solve by political 216. We are convinced that the parties to the con- means all the other situations of tension and conflict flict, as well as the international community, have a in international life, in accordance with the hopes and better understanding today of the fact that the only aspirations of the peoples to live in a climate of calm, course to follow is to seek a political solution and a peace, security and international co-operation. dialogue and that negotiations-however arduDus they ' . may be-'are preferable to a m:litary c~nflict, even a 221. As in the past, Romania and the Romanian peo- limited conflict. Furthermore, Romama, persuaded pie will make their contribution to a just and lasting 3 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, No. 973, p. 287. 4 See A/AC.183/PV.85. 5 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, The Hague Con- ventions and Declarations of 1899 and 1907 (New York, Oxford University Press, 1915), p. 100.