{"id":181519,"date":"1976-04-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T21:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?p=181519"},"modified":"2021-10-20T19:01:38","modified_gmt":"2021-10-20T23:01:38","slug":"auto-insert-181519","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/auto-insert-181519\/","title":{"rendered":"CEIRPP meeting – Press release"},"content":{"rendered":"
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U N I T E D    N A T I O N S<\/p><\/div>\n

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Press Section<\/p><\/div>\n

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Office of Public Information<\/p><\/div>\n

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Â鶹APP, N.Y.<\/p><\/div>\n

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(FOR USE OF INFORMATION MEDIA — NOT AN OFFICIAL RECORD)<\/p><\/div>\n

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Committee on Rights of                               Press Release GA\/PAL\/15<\/p><\/div>\n

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 Palestinian People                                  8 April 1976<\/p><\/div>\n

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11th Meeting (AM)<\/p><\/div>\n

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PALESTINIAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE HEARS STATEMENTS BY CYPRUS, INDONESIA,<\/u><\/p><\/div>\n

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LAO REPUBLIC, AFGHANISTAN, GUINEA, INDIA<\/u><\/p><\/div>\n

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     The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable  Rights of  the Palestinian People heard six statements this morning in its continuing general debate. Speaking were the representatives of Cyprus, Indonesia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Afghanistan, Guinea and India.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     Comments were also made by the representatives of Cyprus, the German<\/p><\/div>\n

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Democratic Republic and Tunisia.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     The Committee also this morning granted the request of the League of Arab<\/p><\/div>\n

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States for observer status.  The Committee had previously agreed to observer<\/p><\/div>\n

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status for Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Mauritania, Syria and the Palestine<\/p><\/div>\n

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Liberation Organization (PLO).<\/p><\/div>\n

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     The Committee adjourned to meet informally and will hold its next open<\/p><\/div>\n

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meeting at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, 13 April, when the Representative of Greece<\/p><\/div>\n

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is listed to speak in the general debate.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     Statements Made<\/u><\/p><\/div>\n

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     ZENON ROSSIDES (Cyprus) expressed satisfaction with the working methods of the Committee whereby open meetings were alternated with informal working<\/p><\/div>\n

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sessions.  The mandate of the Committee, he noted, was to implement resolutions to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their rights to self-determination and independence and their right of return.  Although the matter was closely related to the Middle East problem it was a separate matter, he stated.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     Concerning the right of return, he said that that was vital because it<\/p><\/div>\n

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went to the core of the Middle East problems and dealt with a fundamental human right.  To be forced to live away from home was one of the greatest of human sufferings, he observed.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     The Committee's task, he continued, was important not only in respect to<\/p><\/div>\n

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the Palestinian people, but also in respect to its effect on the Middle East<\/p><\/div>\n

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problem and the world security.  The Committee must work in an atmosphere of<\/p><\/div>\n

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unquestioned objectivity.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     He said that there were certain principles and doctrines of universal<\/p><\/div>\n

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acceptance which must be taken into account, including principles which had<\/p><\/div>\n

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been articulated by the League of Nations.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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     Accepting that Israel did not intend to change the demographic character<\/p><\/div>\n

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of the territory, which would be an international crime of magnitude, there<\/p><\/div>\n

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could be no objection by Israel to the return of the Arabs to their home,<\/p><\/div>\n

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he said.  If Israel did object, it would have to explain why.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     AUGUST MARPAUNG (Indonesia) said that his country had long recognized<\/p><\/div>\n

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that the question of Palestine constituted an integral part of the Middle<\/p><\/div>\n

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East problem as a whole, and that the debates in the past had proved futile,<\/p><\/div>\n

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largely because the central issue of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian<\/p><\/div>\n

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people was ignored.  Indonesia had always consistently supported the cause<\/p><\/div>\n

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of the Palestinians and maintained that the PLO must play its role in<\/p><\/div>\n

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representing its people and upholding their rights.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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     Further, the Middle East question could not be considered apart from<\/p><\/div>\n

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its root causes, which were mainly two-fold, he said.  The first was the<\/p><\/div>\n

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injustice which had long been inflicted upon the Palestinians, who were the<\/p><\/div>\n

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indigenous inhabitants of what is today Israel.  The second root cause was<\/p><\/div>\n

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the continued occupation by force of arms of territories belonging to three<\/p><\/div>\n

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neighbouring Arab countries.  So long as those questions were unsolved,<\/p><\/div>\n

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it would be an illusion to imagine that the Middle East conflict would be<\/p><\/div>\n

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resolved.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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     The 106 resolutions of the General Assembly and the 138 resolutions of<\/p><\/div>\n

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the Security Council on the subject left no doubt that it was the considered<\/p><\/div>\n

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opinion of those bodies that the rights of the Palestinians, whether living<\/p><\/div>\n

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as refugees or under Israeli occupation, must be respected and accommodation<\/p><\/div>\n

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of those rights was essential to the settlement of the conflict, he stated.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     The historic decisions of the thirtieth session of the General Assembly<\/p><\/div>\n

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symbolized not only the growing recognition that the problem of Palestine<\/p><\/div>\n

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had ramifications of vital importance to world peace, but also represented<\/p><\/div>\n

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concrete measures to help restore their fundamental rights to the Palestinians<\/p><\/div>\n

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and were augmented by the invitation extended to the PLO by the Security<\/p><\/div>\n

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Council to participate on an equal footing with other members in the<\/p><\/div>\n

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deliberations of the Council.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     His delegation hoped that several valuable proposals made by the<\/p><\/div>\n

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representative of the PLO during the course of his statements would be the<\/p><\/div>\n

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guiding elements according to which the Committee would formulate its<\/p><\/div>\n

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recommendations.  ???articular mention should be made to the proposal for the<\/p><\/div>\n

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return of the Palestinians to the territories occupied by them prior to 1967,<\/p><\/div>\n

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without linking that question to any other issues, he said.  Equally<\/p><\/div>\n

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important was the emphasis on such sacred and inalienable rights as self-<\/p><\/div>\n

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determination, national independence and sovereignty.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     He said his delegation also found merit in the Yugoslav suggestion that<\/p><\/div>\n

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the Committee maintain contact with the parties directly concerned, as well<\/p><\/div>\n

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as hold consultations with the members of the Security Council.  It was a<\/p><\/div>\n

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matter of urgency that the Permanent Members, jointly as well as separately,<\/p><\/div>\n

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make use of their power of persuasion and exercise their influence to help<\/p><\/div>\n

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solve the conflict.  The Committee could also play a role to ascertain what<\/p><\/div>\n

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constructive moves towards a settlement could be, and it was incumbent on<\/p><\/div>\n

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the Council to determine the steps to be taken in order to overcome the<\/p><\/div>\n

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impasse and to attain a general settlement.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     The Security Council, he said, could not maintain its authority and<\/p><\/div>\n

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credibility as the organ primarily responsible for the maintenance of peace<\/p><\/div>\n

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and security if it was unable to act against Israel's continued defiance of<\/p><\/div>\n

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its decisions.  If it was incapable of restoring to the Palestinians their<\/p><\/div>\n

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just rights, it would then be incumbent upon the Committee, in the formulation<\/p><\/div>\n

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of its recommendations, to take into account as General Assembly resolution<\/p><\/div>\n

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3230 (XXX) stated, "all the powers conferred by the Charter upon the principal<\/p><\/div>\n

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organs of the Â鶹APP".<\/p><\/div>\n

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     He said it was equally important that the holy city of Jerusalem be<\/p><\/div>\n

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restored to Muslim hands, so that the adherents of Islam might be ensured<\/p><\/div>\n

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free and open access to their sacred shrines.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     It was most important that a time-table should be established as regards<\/p><\/div>\n

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withdrawal of occupation forces, the dismantling of settlements already<\/p><\/div>\n

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established, the return of the Palestinians to their homes and the return of<\/p><\/div>\n

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the refugees displaced between 1948 and 1967, he said.  His delegation also<\/p><\/div>\n

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envisaged a vastly increased role for the Â鶹APP not only to promote<\/p><\/div>\n

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a solution to the question but also to facilitate the transitional period,<\/p><\/div>\n

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which would inevitably follow the implementation of recommendations.  It<\/p><\/div>\n

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might even become necessary at some stage for the establishment of a special<\/p><\/div>\n

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Â鶹APP machinery, analogous to the Â鶹APP Council for Namioia,<\/p><\/div>\n

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as had been proposed by one of the delegations.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     He said that as a matter of priority, those refugees who had left Palestine in the aftermath of the 1967 war should be given an opportunity to return to their land, without in any way linking that action to the over-all settlement of the conflict, with such a return taking place no later than 1 June 1977. Furthermore, the resources and expertise of the Red Cross, the Â鶹APP Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) or some such body should be utilized in order to facilitate the return of the refugees.  The Security Council might also play its role by providing<\/p><\/div>\n

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temporary peace-keeping forces.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     KHAMTHONG BOULOM (Lao Republic) said that delegates might be surprised<\/p><\/div>\n

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at his Government's presence on the Committee, since in the past it had<\/p><\/div>\n

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abstained on almost all questions relating to the Middle East, including the<\/p><\/div>\n

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Palestinian question.  The explanation, he said, lay in the fact that his<\/p><\/div>\n

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country had been in the grip of an inherently feudal and corrupt regime and<\/p><\/div>\n

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subjected to American imperialism which was a natural ally of Israel.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     His country now lent its firm support to the cause of the Palestinian<\/p><\/div>\n

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people.  Those people had suffered and were still suffering from the most<\/p><\/div>\n

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serious injustice of the age, he said.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     He said his country's votes during the thirtieth session of the General<\/p><\/div>\n

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Assembly on resolutions <\/span>3375 (XXX)<\/a>, <\/span>3376 (XXX)<\/a> and <\/span>3379 (XXX)<\/a> on Zionism as<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

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a form of racism, as well as his Government's decision to break diplomatic<\/p><\/div>\n

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relations established by its previous regime with Israel, showed the firm<\/p><\/div>\n

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determination of his Government to stand resolutely on the side of the Arab<\/p><\/div>\n

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people in their efforts to wipe out the consequences of Zionist aggression<\/p><\/div>\n

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and to recover the occupied territories.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     His country felt that, if no equitable solution was found in the<\/p><\/div>\n

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foreseeable future, there was danger of the Middle East being plunged into<\/p><\/div>\n

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military trials which could engulf the world.  The main urgent and difficult<\/p><\/div>\n

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task of the Committee was to translate rights into fact, he stated.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     The two-phase programme which had been proposed by the PLO representative<\/p><\/div>\n

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was wise, in his view, and his delegation supported it.  As for the time-table<\/p><\/div>\n

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for the return, he would support any proposal that had the best chance for<\/p><\/div>\n

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implementation.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     It was essential, he said, that Israel abandon its policy of establishing<\/p><\/div>\n

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new settlements in the occupied territories.  Israel should also withdraw its<\/p><\/div>\n

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nationals from established settlements and should comply with the provisions<\/p><\/div>\n

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of the Fourth Geneva Convention.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     MIR ABDUL WAHAB SIDDIQ (Afghanistan) said that the present tragedy was the product of the struggle waged by the indigenous Palestinian people against<\/p><\/div>\n

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aliens who had converged from abroad upon an Arab-inhabited country with the<\/p><\/div>\n

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sole intention of creating a Jewish state.  The origin of the problem and<\/p><\/div>\n

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the root cause of the present conflict, as well as the key to its resolution,<\/p><\/div>\n

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rested upon that issue.  The problem also involved the seizure of both the<\/p><\/div>\n

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national resources of the people of Palestine and the private property of its<\/p><\/div>\n

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individual inhabitants, with the refusal of the Arab world to acquiesce in<\/p><\/div>\n

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that attempt to destroy a nation  explaining the bitterness and the<\/p><\/div>\n

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persistence of the Arab-Israeli conflict.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     He said that, at the twenty-ninth session, the following facts were<\/p><\/div>\n

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accepted by the Â鶹APP General Assembly:  ???hat the question of<\/p><\/div>\n

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Palestine was at the heart of the over-all issue in the Middle East conflict;<\/p><\/div>\n

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and that durable and lasting peace in the Middle East could not be achieved<\/p><\/div>\n

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without the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people<\/p><\/div>\n

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to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty in their<\/p><\/div>\n

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fatherland.  That decision had been endorsed by the thirtieth session of the<\/p><\/div>\n

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General Assembly with respect to the question of Palestine.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     Thus far, he said, many useful proposals had been made with respect to<\/p><\/div>\n

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the fulfilment of the mandate of the Committee, including the proposal that<\/p><\/div>\n

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the Palestinians' right to return to their homeland should be recognized and<\/p><\/div>\n

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implemented.  As a first step towards that end, it had been recommended that<\/p><\/div>\n

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the Palestinians displaced in June 1967 should be allowed to return<\/p><\/div>\n

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immediately and without any conditions to the occupied territories, he noted.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     His delegation fully supported the point made that the Security Council<\/p><\/div>\n

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should recommend that Israel desist from establishing new settlements in the<\/p><\/div>\n

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occupied territories and that it withdraw its citizens from the settlements<\/p><\/div>\n

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already established since June 1967.  While the first stage of the return<\/p><\/div>\n

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of the Palestinians was being implemented, a programme of return should be<\/p><\/div>\n

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outlined for the Palestinians displaced in 1948 from the territories occupied<\/p><\/div>\n

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by Israel.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     In the event of Israel's refusal to allow the Palestinians to return<\/p><\/div>\n

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to their homeland, and on any other relevant legal matter, the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice could be requested, he suggested.  In order to implement the right of return of the Palestinians, it might be necessary for the Â鶹APP to perform certain functions or to create new bodies and agencies.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     ABRAHAM DOUKOURE (Guinea) recalled that Israel had accepted without<\/p><\/div>\n

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reservations all obligations to comply with the provisions of the United<\/p><\/div>\n

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Nations Charter.  Israel, however, was far from scrupulously abiding by<\/p><\/div>\n

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those provisions, and the violations had required the Security Council to<\/p><\/div>\n

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ask that Israel withdraw  its forces from the occupied territories.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     He went on to say that Israel was a pillar of imperialism.  Israel had<\/p><\/div>\n

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massacred women and children on the Golan Heights, he added.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     It must be recognized that the PLO was the legitimate representative of<\/p><\/div>\n

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the Palestinian people and should be a spokesman on an equal footing with all<\/p><\/div>\n

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the participants concerned, he said.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     With regard to the right of return, he said that it should be in two<\/p><\/div>\n

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phases:  a return upon the liberation of the occupied territories and another<\/p><\/div>\n

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return of refugees who had left their homes before 1947-1948.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     RIKHI JAIEAL (India) said that the Committee was limited to formulating<\/p><\/div>\n

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a programme of implementation of the rights of the Palestinians.  Those rights<\/p><\/div>\n

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had been defined as the right to return and the right to self-determination<\/p><\/div>\n

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and national independence.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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     The views of the PLO, he continued, were very relevant to the work of<\/p><\/div>\n

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the Committee.  With regard to the programme for the return, as proposed by the ??? representative, he noted that it was a good plan and would be practical if given a time-frame.  Nevertheless, the programme should be without prejudice to the wishes of those who wished to return immediately.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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     In his view, it was essential for the Committee to come up with a practical programme within a fixed time frame and with the assistance of the Â鶹APP.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     Comments Made<\/u><\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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     Mr. ROSSIDES (Cyprus) said that the Committee must proceed in a practical<\/p><\/div>\n

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manner.  It would be a wise policy for Israel not to refuse the return of the<\/p><\/div>\n

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refugees as that would place it in an untenable position and affect the whole<\/p><\/div>\n

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Middle East situation.  Therefore, he said, there was hope that Israel would<\/p><\/div>\n

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not refuse the return of refugees.  If it did, then, of course, the Security<\/p><\/div>\n

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Council would become involved.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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     However, he was concerned that the Security Council did not seem to<\/p><\/div>\n

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mind the failure to implement its resolutions.  How could the Committee rely on such a body? he asked.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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     It would be a good thing, in his view, if the Security Council embarked<\/p><\/div>\n

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on a course of enforcement of its resolutions.  He supported the remarks<\/p><\/div>\n

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made by the representative of India.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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     GUENTER MAUERSBERGER (German Democratic Republic) said it would be useful<\/p><\/div>\n

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to have some indication as to whether the parties concerned which had been<\/p><\/div>\n

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invited to participate in the work of the Committee had expressed any interest<\/p><\/div>\n

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in doing so.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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     The Chairman, MEDOUNE FALL (Senegal), said he would reply to that question in a closed meeting.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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     RACHID DRISS (Tunisia) referred to the statement by the representative of<\/p><\/div>\n

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Cyprus and asked what position he held concerning the homes of the Palestinians who had left before 1967.  He expressed support for the statement by the representative of India; that approach was realistic and practical.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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     Mr. ROSSIDES (Cyprus) said he had not mentioned the refugees from 1948<\/p><\/div>\n

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because he was concentrating on the first stage of the return of Palestinians.<\/p><\/div>\n

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However, he had long supported the cause of the Palestinian people and was<\/p><\/div>\n

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surprised that his position was in doubt.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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     Mr. DRISS (Tunisia) said he had merely wished a clarification and was<\/p><\/div>\n

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not questioning the position of Cyprus or of Ambassador Rossides.<\/p><\/div>\n

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* *** *<\/p><\/div>\n

\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U N I T E D    N A T I O N S Press Section Office of Public Information Â鶹APP, N.Y. (FOR USE OF INFORMATION MEDIA — NOT AN OFFICIAL RECORD) Committee on Rights of                               Press Release GA\/PAL\/15  Palestinian People                                  8 April 1976 11th Meeting (AM) PALESTINIAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE HEARS STATEMENTS BY CYPRUS, INDONESIA, LAO REPUBLIC, AFGHANISTAN, […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[2625],"document-source":[1753],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1749],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-181519","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-meeting-record","document-source-ceirpp","document-subject-palestine-question","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/181519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/181519\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=181519"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=181519"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=181519"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=181519"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=181519"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=181519"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=181519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}