S/PV.1861 Security Council

The Council has before it, in document S/11898, a draft resolution sponsored by Guyana, Iraq, Mauritania, United Republic of Cameroon and United Republic of Tanzania. Provisional agenda (S/Agenda/l861) ’ ‘1 1. Adoption of the agenda 3. Mr.. JACKSON (Guyana): We shall have an opportunity in January next year to discuss fully the situation in the Middle East, including, most importantly, the Palestinian problem. Thus, even though the item now before the Council is entitled “The situation in the Middle East”, my delegation will limit itself on this occasion to the specific reason which has caused this meeting to be held: the massive air attack unleashed by the forces of the Israeli Government on villages and Palestinian camps in Lebanon on 2 December 1975. 2. The situation in the Middle East: (u) Letter dated 3 December 1975 from the Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/l 1892); (b) ‘Letter dated 3 December 1975 from the Permanent Representative of Egypt to the United Nations addressed to -the President of the Security Council (S/l 1893) The meeting wus called to order at 12.15 p.m. 4. Before expressing the views of my delegation on this matter, however, let me welcome the representatives of the PLO, who have been appropriately invited by the Council, as representatives of a party directly concerned, to participate in this debate: The representative of the PLO in his address to the Council on 4 December [1859th meefing[ brought to our deliberations a dimension and a perception which can only be beneficial to the determination of the stand of the Council on the issue before us. Adoption of the agenda The agendu was adopted. The situation in the Middle East: (4 Letter dated.:! December !??5,from the Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the ‘U&t&d ‘Ntitibris addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/11892); 5. Since there has been disagreement in the Council over the participation of the PLO in this debate, let me state the position of my delegation. I shall do so in an attempt to avoid embrangling the situation by a resort to the histrionics-of a political rally.---- . .._ Letter dated 3 December 1975 from the Permanent Representative of ‘Egypt to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/11893) .-- .,. .1.-... ..-. -- .-.____._l. _ ____ . . The PRESIDENT: In accordance with the decision taken at the 1859th meeting of the Security, Council, under rule 37 of the provisional rules of procedure I propose now, with the consent of the Council, ‘to invite the representatives of Lebanon, Egypt and the Syrian Arab Republic to,p&cipate in the discussion, without the right to vote. In accordance (b) 1. 6. The PLO, as its name makes clear, is a liberation movement designed to secure the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. It is an organization whose existence is a reality, recognized by the United Nations, and accorded observer status by the General Assembly. Certain rights flow logically from that 7. Turning to the substantive aspects of the question before us, it is observed from a scrutiny of the records that Lebanon has, on several occasions, brought complaints to the Council concerning attacks on its territory and its population by the military forces of Israel, and the violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. On some of those occasions the Council deplored the failure of Israel to abide by resolutions adopted by this body; adjudged many of its military actions against Lebanon as premeditated and carefully planned; condemned Israel for such actions; declared that such armed attacks can no longer be tolerated; issued solemn warnings to Israel; and considered taking adequate and effective steps or measures in accordance with the Charter should such military actions and defiance by Israel of Security ,Council rre~olutions persist. 8. The last such occasion was in August 1973, when resolution 337 (1973) was unanimously adopted by the Council. Since then, Israel has continually carried out military acts which indiscriminately killed and maimed people in Lebanon and violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its territory. Many, if not all, of those attacks have been aimed with exceptional venom against the Palestinians. But none has been as brutal as the massive attack perpetrated on 2 December. Indeed, so vicious was that attack that it evoked considerable hostile reaction within Israel itself-if the press reports of that reaction are accurate. 9. But the attack has also evoked hostile reaction outside of Israel and has been roundly condemned. The Co-ordinating Committee of the Non-Aligned Countries in the United Nations (New York) issued the following Declaration on 4 December: [The speaker reud out the declaration in document S/ 11897.1 Guyana serves on that Committee, and therefore fully supports the terms of the Declaration. 10. The Council will soon take a decision on the complaint made by Lebanon. We can do no less than was done in the past. Indeed we should do more. It is with this in mind that my delegation has co-sponsored the draft resolution S/11898. ‘11. Mr. OYONO (United Republic of Cameroon) (interpretation from French): The delegation of the ’ “Culls for the invitation of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the representative of the Palestinian people, to participate in all efforts, a’deliberations and conferences on the Middle East which are held under the auspices of the United :. Nations, on an equal footing with other parties, . ..‘*. 6 From this standpoint, I should like to reaffirm my .Government’s conviction that no final and just settlement of the Middle East problem can take place without the effective participation of the PLO, widely recognized by the members of the international ‘community as the genuine representative of the Palestinian people. 12. My delegation, which firmly supports the legitimate aspirations of that people to return to its homeland and exercise its right to self-determination without foreign interference and to assume its responsibilities in exercising sovereignty over its territory, can only be gratified to see the representative of the PLO occupying with dignity the place which lawfully belongs to his people in the United Nations. 13. It was with deep concern and alarm that my delegation learned of the news of the massive and barbarous attack launched by Israel on 2 December against Lebanon-a hospitable land for meetings, age-old crossroads of goods and ideas, and a peaceful non-aligned country-an attack which caused more than 100 civilian fatalities, numerous casualties and considerable material damage. My delegation can only energetically condemn, as it has done in the past, this armed aggression, the premeditated, blind and criminal nature of which has been eloquently described by previous speakers in this debate. We condemn this heinous and infamous act because it constitutes a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a State Member of the United Nations, and because it implies the adoption, implementation and systematic practice of State terrorism as a political instrument to intimidate the Arab peoples and to perpetuate the occupation of territories annexed by force. . 14. Besides posing a serious threat to international peace and security and being likely to lead to a further escalation of further serious violence, the Israeli aggression, as was pointed-out so pertinently by the representative of Egypt in the Security Council on 4 December [1859th meeting], undermines the efforts being made to reach a just and peaceful settle- 15. My delegation would like to take this opportunity to repeat its expressions of sympathy to the Government of Lebanon and the PLO and to offer its profound condolences to the families of the victims of :the aggression of 2 December. . . . 16. It is in order to reply to the criminal actions of Israel and to redress the unspeakable wrongs done to Lebanon and the Palestinian people, and also to reaffirm on this occasion the authority of the Security Council as the organ charged with the maintenance of international peace and security, that I have the honour to submit officially to the Council, on behalf of the delegations of Guyana, Iraq, Mauritania and the United Republic of Tanzania, and my own delegation, the draft resolution S/l 1898. 22. My delegation is convinced that all men of feeling and till Governments that sincerely desire to see a just and lasting peace established in the Middle East will vote in favour,on this draft resolution, now officially before the Security Council.

At the request of the Government of Egypt, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic. the Security Council has been convened to deal with Israeli air attacks against Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. Again we are confronted with the question of violent acts having their source in violence and leading to violence, in a spiral which can bring only increased suffering for the peoples of the Middle East. The magnitude of the Israeli air attacks illustrate how this violence is escalating. The Swedish Government looks upon this development with sorrow and with dissapointment. The attacks on the Palestinian camps during which hundreds of men, women and children were killed and wounded can serve only to exacerbate the conflict and to increase hatred and exasperation. 17. In the pl’eamble of this draft, we recall in sufficiently clear terms the well-known concerns of the Council with regard to the repeated attacks by Israel against Lebanon. The dominant idea underlying these concerns is the failure by Israel to heed the resolutions of the Council calling upon it to refrain from all acts of force in the region and to respect the independence of Lebanon and take into account the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. 18. Israel’s recent massive air attacks against Lebanon have been premeditated in nature and are sufficiently grave on this occasion for the Council not only to be able to call on Israel immediately to cease all military attacks against Lebanon, but also for it vehemently to condemn the Israeli Government for its flagrant act of aggression in violation of the terms of the Charter of the United Nations and the relevant resolutions of the Security Council. 24. A flagrant breach of the principles which form the basis of the Charter of the United Nations ‘has been committed. The efforts to reach peaceful solutions have been made more difficult. The United Nations, therefore, has to condemn this act. But human lives are sacrificed also in Israel through acts of violence and terror. This violence is no less reprehensible. The PLO on several occasions has assumed responsibility for such acts, and it is important that we express our condemnation of these also. _ 19. By adopting this draft resolution, the Security Council will be issuing a solemn warning to Israel that if such premeditated armed attacks are repeated, the Council will have to consider taking appropriate steps and measures to give effect to its decisions. The operative part of the draft as summed up above represents the least that can be done, in view of the gravity of the situation created in the region by the Israeli aggression, under the responsibilities conferred by the Charter on the Council in the safeguarding of international peace and security. 25. We cannot see how this spiral of violence can be brought to an end unless the basic problems are discussed between the parties directly concerned. In this debate, all parties, the PLO as well as the Arab States and Israel, must accept the basic political realities in the area. The right of Israel to exist must not be questioned. The Palestinian people have a right to their otin statehood. The basic prerequisite for development towards a peaceful solution is that the parties speak to each other. A dialogue does not in itself hold any guarantee of success, but to refuse to participate in a debate with the opponent is to invite certain failure for the efforts to-wards peace. This holds true both for Israel and for the representatives of the Palestinian people. 20. This concise draft resolution is clear and direct; it avoids lengthy commentary and, as will have been noted, does not seek to raise the wide range of problems arising from the crisis in the Middle East which the Security Council has decided to examine at ‘an appropriate date. Nor do the sponsors of this text wish to distract the attention of the members of the Council by mentioning acts of violence in the region of which the Council has not at present been seized. 27; The Prime’ Minister of Sweden addressed himself to this question only a few weeks ago in the General Assembly. I quote from his statement: “In the Middle East two.peopIes look at the same land as part of their national home. The result is a tragic conflict and deep suffering in the whole region. The people of Israel have lived for almost 30 years in a State which was recognized already in its infancy by many other countries, including the leading Powers. It has a right as have all other States in the area to live within recognized and secure..--borders. At the same time, occupied territories must be returned in accordance with United Nations resolutions. The people of Palestine have a political identity and a just claim to national selfdetermination. So long as they are denied that right the conflict will not be resolved.“’ This basic position of principle will guide Sweden in. the coming deliberation in the Council on the Middle East question. 28. Mr. de GUIRINGAUD (France) (interpretation from French): Mr. President, I am speaking for the first time on the substance of the subject we are dealing with since you assumed the presidency of the Council. I shall not enter into the substance of my statement without congratulating you personally on your accession t? this post of such great responsibility. I have no doubt that this eminent post will be further enhanced by the competence and talent of your guidance, which everyone here recognizes. 29. I should like to avail myself of this opportunity to express my gratitude to Mr. Malik of the Soviet Union for the flexible and effective manner in .which he”guided our debates last month, which on several occasions :dealt with particularly complex problems. 30. Once again the Security Council has before it the consideration of attacks committed by Israel against Palestinian refugee camps on the territory of Lebanon. This is far from being the first debate which it de.yotesto matters of this nature. The latest #to date took place in April 1974 [1769th meeting]. Although attacks have continued since then, the authgdties in Lebanon, as we were reminded by the representative of Lebanon [1859rh nreefing], being aware of the fragile prospects for negotiating the settlement to the Middle East conflict, refrained from seizing the Council of this matter again. .- 32: Accordingly, the Government of France condemns most firmly the action which has been undertaken against Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. We consider these operations to be inadmissible, presented as being of a preventive nature and which lead to massacres where innocent civilians are included and in particular, women and children, Palestinians as well as Lebanese. We refuse to accept that a chain reaction of violence is to be considered as inevitable. We consider that it is our duty to try to break that chain reaction. .: 33. Further, it is a fact .that the Israeli actions of 2 December have been unanimously deplored, as is proved in the press articles which have been published even in organs which wish to evince understanding and sympathy for the Jewish State’s concern for its security. These articles are known to all, and in any case to those who are primarily concerned since they are also to be found in the Israeli press. 34. But beyond these legitimate references to legal and moral criteria, the Israeli actions seem to us to be all ,the more reprehensible since they occur at a time when Lebanon itself is .enduring an ordeal, as we all known, and thereby aggravate the sufferings of a people to which France is ‘linked by close ties of friendship. We attach the utmost importance to respecting the security and the integrity of Lebanon. We are all aware of the praiseworthy ,and difficult efforts it has made to remain outside from the conflict, despite the hospitality given on its soil to numerous Palestinian refugees. We consider too, that the stability of the Lebanese State, is an essential element for balance in the Middle East, and we’ therefore wonder how the Israeli authorities can be unaware of the very grave consequences; for this balance, of actions such as those of 2 December. 35. On the other hand, what is also at stake, as all the speakers who preceded me have emphasized, are the prospects for negotiation. These are uncertain and .fragile. The evident and natural solidarity which unites the Arab States to the Palestinian people 36. Thus the peace efforts made by one and all encounter not only major obstacles because of’the principal facts of the conflict, .but also tragic episodes which create a nefarious tension likely to jeopardize the over-all settlement. But if one cannot aGoid obstacles, it is up to us, on the other hand, to aioid a repetition of these episodes. It is regrettable that in these matters the -resolutions of the Council h&e remained ineffectual as a series of pious’hopes. While condemning Israel for its latest raids in the ‘territory of Lebanon, we wish today firmly to warn Israel ‘to abstain in future from actions which strike at ,a population, already sorely tried, jeopardize the restoration of balance of Lebanon and threatens prospects for negotiation. \-

First of all, allow me, in the name of the Chinese delegation, to express our warm welcome tb the representatives of the PLO who are participating in the ‘debates of the Security Council. The Council has been considering the Middle East question for nearly three decades, but this is the first time that the representatives of the PLO have participated in the Security Council debate on the Middle East and Palestinian question. This is the legitimate right of the Palestinian people, which has won the support of the Third World countries. and other justiceupholding countries. 40. The Chinese Government and people have always firmly supported the Arab and Palestinian peoples in their just struggles against Zionism and hegemonism and for the recovery of their lost territories and the restoration of their national rights. We are resolutely opposed to Israeli aggression and the super-Power contention and expansion in the Middle East. This. position of ours is firm and ,unshakable. .- 41. The Security Cbuncil should uphold justice and take a clear-cut attitude vis-bvis the naked atrocities of aggression committed by the Israeli authorities. In the view of the Chinese delegation, the Security Council should adopt a resolution strongly condemning the atrocities of aggression committed by the Israeli authorities and demanding an immediate end to all Israeli acts of aggression; at the same time, the Council should call on the people of the world to give firm support to the Government and people -of Lebanon as well as the Palestinian and’ other Arab peoples in their just struggle against Israeli aggiession. We are convinced that the entire Arab and Palestinian people will draw due lessons from the, Israeli crimes of aggression, unite even.more closely and carry through to the end the’just struggle against Israeli aggression and expansion. 38. The Chinese delegation has listened attentively to the speeches made by the representatives of Lebanon and other Arab countries as well as the speech made by the representative of the PLO. We fully support their solemn indictment against the fresh atrocities of aggression committed by the Israeli Zionists. The irrefutable fact is: On 2 December, Israel sent large number of aircraft to invade Lebanon, carrying out wanton and indiscriminate bombing raids against some villages and refugee camps in the northern and southern parts of Lebanon, killing and wounding over 200 innocent Lebanese and Palestinian civilians, many of whom were old folk, women and children, thus creating another shocking incident in cold blood, This is one more serious crime of aggression committed by the Israeli Zionists against the Arab and Palestinian people and a new debt of blood owed by the Israeli Zionists to the Arab and Palestinian people. The Chinese Government and people. express great indignation at the atrocities of aggression committed by the Israeli authorities, extend our deep sympathy for all the victims and their families and give our firm support to the solemn position taken by . the Lebanese Government and people, the other Arab countries and the Palestinian people in strong condemnation of the Israeli atiocities of aggression. 42. The Chinese delegation will vote in favour of the draft resolution submitted by the five non-aligned States-Guyana, Iraq, Mauritania, United Republic of Cameroon and United Republic of Tanzania. The Chinese delegation ,wishes to point out in particular that we cannot accept any amendment .designed to’ equate the aggressor and those who commit atrocities with the victim of aggression and atrocities. For this would not only be confounding the black and

Before going into the substance of the matter before the Council, I should like to express the deep satisfaction of my delegation at seeing the representatives of the PLO seated around this table as the legitimate representatives of the Palestine people. I should like to congratulate them for their discreet but effective diplomatic action which led to recognition by the Security Council of the right already recognized to them by the General Assembly. While my delegation is rightly pleased with the decision taken by the Council, which certainly goes along with the current of history, we cannot hide our horror at the tragedy and mourning which has struck the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples. 44. Once again the world, and the Council, have been witnesses of an aggression deliberately committed by Israel against the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples, the obvious purpose of which was to defy international public opinion and the Security Council. The cruel bombings carried out by the Israeli army in Lebanon. which have caused hundreds of innocent victims, ~111 once again be added to the long list of deliberate acts of genocide knowingly planned by Israel against the Palestinian people. 45. Five deliberate acts of aggression have been committed by Israel against Lebanon since 1967. While the Palestinians live in every country of the Middle East, particularly in the Arab States bordering Israel, why is Lebanon the favourite target of Israeli bombings? The obvious reason, which escapes no one, not even the friends of Israel, goes beyond the simplistic explanations given here and there by the representatives of Israel to justify deliberately organized aggression designed to spread disorder in Lebanon itself. 46. Lebanon, in fact, has always been a land of balanced politics, exemplary democracy and religious tolerance, a land where Jews, Christians and Moslems have lived together in harmony and mutual respect. ---.. - - _____ ____ ._.._.. 00150 82-61202-December 198312,200 Litho in United Nations, NewYork 47. To justify the unjustifiable and to continue to defend that thesis which is clearly based on racism, the Government of Israel seeks to pit Palestinians against Lebanese and Christians against Moslems. It is this policy of aggression supported by great expenditures, that has led to the confusion which Lebanon is now experiencing. In the opinion of the Government of Israel, therefore, Lebanese democracy must be destroyed at all costs in order to justify the dictatorship of Zionism over the other peoples living in Palestine, including the Jews of Palestinian origin. Such an objective, where religion is used for racist purposes and for economic exploitation, may well cause additional innocent victims in Lebanon unless the Security Council takes the necessary measures to halt Israeli bombings and impose the force of international law. 48. Violence, however intensive, will in any case not sap the will of the Palestinian people to reconquer their inalienable rights. The recovery of the Palestinian homeland usurped by the Zionists will be achieved all the more rapidly since the Palestinian people -Jews, Christians and Moslems alike-enjoy the unreserved support of the international community. 49. Before concluding, I should like on behalf of my country, my Government and my delegation to express to the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples our heartfelt condolences for the cruel losses they have suffered as a result of the bombings carried out by the Israeli army in Lebanon. In the harsh ordeal they are enduring they can once again rely on the active and brotherly solidarity of the Government and people of Mauritania. The meeting rose at 1.05 p.m. Notes ’ See Offick~l Records of the Generul Assembly, Thirtieth Session, Plenary Meetings, 2401st meeting.