General Assembly Session 49 meeting 72

Mr. Legwaila (Botswana)

The blessings of the post-cold-war era may not have been evenly distributed, but for some they have brought about real salvation and redemption from ideological and racial damnation. I speak as one who has experienced first-hand the salvation and redemption of a people -- the people of southern Africa -- from the pernicious forces of darkness represented by the racist ideology of apartheid. I would not be so irreligious as to make the heretical claim that southern Africa today stands triumphant at the gates of Heaven, but I am certain that the Assembly shares the celebratory euphoria we feel over the total liberation of our region. Beyond belief, southern Africa in its entirety is free at last.

Palestine, like southern Africa, has endured for too long the trials and tribulations of war and death without mercy. With the signing last year of the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, by Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), one would have thought a credible abandonment of the old negative posture in the Middle Eastern politics of negotiations by war had been initiated and had engendered in its wake the prospect that soon that troubled region, like the southern African region, might enjoy some deliverance from its painful past. Not quite yet. Unfortunately, both Palestinians and Israelis have yet to enjoy peace, despite the recent changes in the area, because there remain, in that troubled region, those who still derive comfort from the peace of the grave. A negotiated peace is not in their interest. Theirs are the politics of the absolute, so reminiscent of the politics of the practitioners of apartheid.

The peace process in that dangerous area of the Middle East is too vital, too crucial, to be allowed to wither in the hands of those who believe they have a stake only in the perpetuation of violence. The international community is a stakeholder in that process and must ensure that, in spite of the terrible odds against it, the process is nurtured and pursued to its logical conclusion.

It is painfully obvious, however, that so long as the fruits of the limited autonomy enjoyed by the Palestinians in Gaza and Jericho amount to nothing more than vague symbols of empowerment in the form of police uniforms and a flag, while poverty and squalor continue to be the order of the day in the area, with nothing in sight to indicate imminent relief from misery for its inhabitants, the naysayers, the nihilists, will continue to have a field-day. Clearly, therefore, the international community will have to do more to make the partial change that has taken place in the occupied areas a lasting reality. Palestinians cannot eat flags and police uniforms. Empowerment deriving from the conferment of autonomous authority in Gaza and Jericho must bring with it a materially transforming effect on the lives of its beneficiaries, the Palestinian people, who have for so long languished in such terrible deprivation.

There is also one ineluctable consideration that can be lost sight of only to the inevitable detriment of what has been achieved so far: the pace at which the agreement between Israel and the PLO is implemented. It goes without saying that half measures in any process of desperate political change can never win a contest against impatience. The slower the pace of change in the occupied areas of the West Bank and Gaza, the more heightened the impatience of its intended beneficiaries, and the bolder and the more vicious the opposition from those who advocate change by revolution.

Nevertheless, Botswana has never concealed the enthusiasm with which we have welcomed and supported the discovery of some common ground between the people of Israel and their brethren, the people of Palestine. Our support for peaceful change in the area is inexorable, and impervious to equivocation. We see the normalization of relations between Israel and Jordan as a happy portent for the advent of a new era of peace through justice for all in the Middle East.

That is why we cannot but continue to urge those neighbours of Israel that have not done so to come to some accommodation with the Jewish nation, and we urge the Jewish nation to do the same, so that a comprehensive, just and durable peace in the area of the Middle East, pursuant to Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), can at last be established. It can be done. The world has changed. The Middle East is by no means an exception to the universal trend, now firmly established, that no problem, however intractable it is considered, is beyond a negotiated solution. If this were not true, I can assure the Assembly, we who not long ago were bereft of any hope for change in our lifetime in South Africa would still be living under apartheid.

Mr. Owada (Japan)

It would be no exaggeration to declare that 1994 has been a historic landmark in the long years of efforts to establish lasting peace and stability throughout the Middle East. The progress we have witnessed this past year is both genuine and dramatic. As a result, the entire political structure of the region is undergoing a fundamental change.

In September 1993, the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements was signed in Washington as a blueprint for peace between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The international community registered its full support for this achievement through General Assembly resolution 48/58, which was adopted with the positive votes of an overwhelming majority of Member States, including Israel and almost all the Arab States.

In Cairo on 4 May of this year, the Israelis and Palestinians concluded a second historic agreement, as a result of which the Palestinians have at last begun to manage their own affairs in Gaza and Jericho. We look forward to the transfer of power and responsibilities to the Palestinians in the West Bank, as agreed by the two parties in the Declaration of Principles.

Another historic advance was made just last month with the signing of a peace treaty by Israel and Jordan. This achievement is of particular importance because, based upon the Washington Declaration signed in July 1994, which terminated the state of belligerency between those two countries, it opened the way for them to explore the potential for future bilateral cooperation in such areas as the economy, tourism, natural and human resources, and infrastructure. Japan pays tribute to the Governments of Jordan and of Israel for their courageous efforts to establish a partnership for peace.

It is the ardent hope of Japan that this achievement will in turn be followed by breakthroughs in the negotiations between Israel and Syria and between Israel and Lebanon. Indeed, the role of Syria in our efforts to achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle East is absolutely critical; the security and stability of the region cannot be ensured until there is peace between Syria and Israel. We call upon those two countries to pursue vigorously the efforts to translate their desire for peace into concrete action. Japan will support and assist their endeavours to the best of its ability.

Casting an ominous shadow on the progress that has been made towards peace is the recent wave of terrorism, which has claimed a number of innocent lives and brought untold sorrow to the families of the victims. On this occasion, I should like, on behalf of the Government of Japan, to convey my heartfelt sympathy to those whose lives have been shattered by the hateful acts of terrorists. May the families of the victims find consolation in the knowledge that the tide of history is overwhelmingly against terrorism, and that peace will ultimately prevail. Concerted action by all the parties in the region is required to combat and eliminate terrorism in all its forms. The international community must back up those efforts with effective and cooperative measures to cut off foreign support for regional terrorist organizations. Although the situation remains fragile, the vast majority of the peoples of the region are tenacious in their struggle for peace. The international community will not allow that struggle to be thwarted.

The ultimate goal of the peace process is not simply the cessation of hostilities; rather, it is the creation of a stable environment in which all the peoples of the region can pursue their livelihood and look forward to a more prosperous future. It is essential that the Palestinian people be able to enjoy tangible and direct benefits of peace. Although considerable progress has been made, the conditions in which Palestinians live in Gaza and the West Bank remain tense, and Palestinians will continue to experience frustration unless they see tangible improvements in their daily lives. The violent clash in Gaza earlier this month between Palestinian civilians and the police force of the Palestinian Authority underscores the fragility of the situation and the desperate and urgent need for assistance from the international community.

There is much more hard work to be done to ensure that Palestinian self-government can actually function in Gaza and Jericho. Thus, it is incumbent upon all of us who want to see peace prevail in the region to extend substantial political and economic support to the Palestinian self-government authorities without further delay. Conscious of this common responsibility of ours, Japan for its part has committed about $200 million for Palestinian assistance efforts over two years. In particular, to help meet the initial cost of administration of the territories, Japan, which is not a direct party to the peace process, has nevertheless been actively participating in joint assistance efforts, offering to allocate $10 million for residential housing for the police force in Gaza, $8.5 million for the Holst Fund for recurrent costs, and $5 million for the clean-up project in Gaza.

On the issue of Arab boycott of Israel, my delegation is gratified to note that in September of this year the States of the Gulf Cooperation Council announced a virtual end to its practice. Japan welcomes and highly appreciates this initiative, since it contributes greatly to the spirit of reconciliation and mutual trust that is growing among the nations of the region. It is the belief of my delegation that it will open enormous trade and investment opportunities, enhancing the economic well-being of all in the region.

As a result of the Madrid Conference of 1991, multilateral talks have started, with working groups on five subjects: the environment, arms control and regional security, refugees, water, and economic development. The talks are expected to address practical problems shared by the nations of the region, and thereby serve to build confidence among the parties involved in the region. In fact, they have already succeeded in starting the process of promoting the development of normal relations among the nations of the Middle East, and are thus playing an important role in advancing peace and stability in the region. Japan has been participating actively and constructively in these working groups.

At its most recent meeting, held in Bahrain last month the environmental Working Group, over which Japan presides as its Chairman, adopted a code of conduct that establishes principles and guidelines for environmental protection and cooperation in the region. Japan believes that this practical achievement will contribute to promoting greater social and economic cooperation in the region, given the degree of interdependence that can exist there.

The Middle East and North African Economic Summit of government officials and leading businessmen, held in Casablanca last month, provides another useful model for promoting economic cooperation for regional development projects. These region-wide efforts reflect a determination to foster an environment in which Palestinians, Israelis and their Arab neighbours can enjoy the fruits of peace. In pursuit of that goal, they have the active and steadfast support of the international community. Japan, for its part, will spare no effort to promote the ongoing peace process in the Middle East and to support and further cooperate in the social and economic development of the region.

Mr. Huaraka (Namibia)

In his statement during the general debate, Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Namibia, stated:

"The peace process in the Middle East continues to gain momentum and wider acceptance in the region and beyond it. ... centre-piece of this peace process is ... full realization of the right of self-determination of the Palestinian people, led by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which must lead to complete nationhood." (Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-ninth Session, Plenary Meetings, 21st meeting, p. 21)

The ongoing peace process, which began in Madrid, and the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements will, hopefully, lead to the establishment of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East. That is what the world wants, and, even more, that is what the Palestinian people want. Indeed, that is what the region deserves.

In paragraph 1 of resolution 48/158 D of 20 December 1993 the General Assembly:

"Reaffirms the need to achieve a peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine, the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict, in all its aspects".

Since that resolution was adopted, positive developments on the Palestinian-Israeli track for the peace process have taken place.

Since the signing by the Government of Israel and the PLO of the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, which took place on 13 September 1993 at the White House in Washington, the peace process has achieved significant results and grown deep roots on the way to a peaceful settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area, signed in Cairo on 4 May 1994, and the subsequent launching of early empowerment represent important and irreversible steps forward in the implementation of the Declaration of Principles.

The signing of the Washington Declaration, on 25 July this year, and of the peace Treaty between Israel and Jordan, on 26 October this year, represent yet another historic achievement that will generate further momentum in the Israel-Palestinian negotiations, and encourage progress in the Israel-Lebanese and Israel-Syrian tracks of the peace process.

During past years the Namibian Government followed with keen interest the bilateral negotiations between the parties concerned, and it continues to do so. It is my delegation's fervent hope that the discussions between Israel and the PLO will steadily progress and solidify through the transitional period. Based on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), such steps will be important in establishing a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

While my delegation is aware that there have been delays in the implementation of the Declaration of Principles and some lack of compliance with the provisions of the agreement reached, such as the absence until now of the safe passage between Gaza and Jericho, it nevertheless hopes for positive progress and would urge full implementation of the Declaration of Principles within the agreed time-frame.

My delegation stresses the need for the United Nations to continue to play an active role in the current peace process and in the implementation of the Declaration of Principles. It is against this background that my delegation welcomes the progress made so far in this regard, particularly in the provision of economic, social and other assistance to the Palestinian people. Now is the most trying time for the Palestinian people, a time when they need to be assisted in order to reconstruct their country. The enjoyment of their economic, social and cultural rights is a crucial component of the realization of their right to self-determination.

My delegation commends the creation of a coordinating mechanism for United Nations activities throughout the occupied territory, through the appointment of the United Nations Special Coordinator at Under-Secretary-General level; it is a welcome development.

My delegation would fail in its duty if it did not congratulate and express its solidarity with the PLO and all the Palestinian people on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. In the same vein, we congratulate the Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, and his colleagues in the Bureau, on a job well done.

Finally, my Government will continue to give all the support the Secretary-General might require to ensure that the United Nations system contributes its utmost to the economic and social development of the Palestinian people, which is essential in building peace throughout the Middle East.

Mr. Homarah (Yemen)

I hope that the few words I am going to say will not be classified among the footnotes of the voluminous statements made over the years by the Israelis and the Arabs on the question of Palestine. They have made so very many statements and made war for about half a century, then, after all that, they discovered that war does not produce for them or for anyone else any sustainable solutions. I borrow this word "sustainable" from the common coinage of our day which we hear so much in this Hall in speaking of "sustainable development" for poor countries like mine.

War has not brought anyone anything but destruction and bloodshed. However, as they saying goes in the Arab world, and in Yemen in particular, this seems to be the best that could have been done. The dialogue that is taking place now between the parties to the conflict and the tendency towards peace may achieve what has not been possible to achieve by military force, by high-sounding statements or even by fiery poetry.

My country supports dialogue, calls for peace and is on the side of peace. It follows with great interest the negotiations between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel and the agreements concluded between the two parties. We also follow closely the practical steps taken to achieve all that. We wish to thank and to express our appreciation for the efforts of the United States of America and the Russian Federation have deployed and continue to deploy in order to surmount obstacles, narrow the differences between the negotiators and thereby to promote peace and security in the region.

The peoples of the region have lived for far too long in the grip of instability and war. Now they long for the peace and stability they need so much. Yemen believes that if such is to be achieved, it has to be built on justice and not on force and faits accomplis. What has been achieved at both the Palestinian-Israeli and the Israeli-Jordanian tracks is not enough to ensure a durable peace in the region. To achieve such peace, it has to be based on the principle of the complete withdrawal of the Israeli forces from all the occupied Arab territories in Syria and Lebanon in implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions.

While we hope that the Arab-Israeli peace process, which began in Madrid, will usher in a new era in a Middle East that is not threatened by nuclear weapons, we also hope that Israel will take an initiative in this respect that would demonstrate its desire to live in peace on the basis of respect for the rights of the Palestinian people and the acknowledgement of such rights, and not by intimidation, the demolishing of houses and the infliction of collective punishment.

Mr. Farhadi (Afghanistan)

In order to indicate my delegation's position, I shall read out the following message that was communicated to the Secretary-General and signed by the Head of State of the Islamic State of Afghanistan, Professor Rabbani:

"On the occasion of the Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, I should like to express the best wishes of the Islamic State of Afghanistan and all the Afghan people for the achievement of a solution to the Palestinian question based on full respect for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination and their right to their own State. Such a solution requires that Israel withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territory, including Al Quds-Al Sharif, that is, Jerusalem."

Members of the Assembly have taken note of, and some have even studied, the report of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (A/49/35). Let us remember that that Committee was established on 10 November 1975 and was requested to consider and make recommendations on a programme designed to enable the Palestinian people to exercise its inalienable rights as recognized by the General Assembly in resolution 3236 (XXIX) of 22 November 1974.

Present circumstances, and indeed the report itself, show quite clearly that that Committee has much more to do. Having said that, I do not need to repeat everything that has been stated here by several of my colleagues. The points that have been made are of major importance. I shall mention one of them: that an authority which agrees to end an occupation of a territory must, above all, put an end to the existence of settlements; one cannot at the same time maintain settlements and end a military occupation. The entire world must be reminded of this.

I should like to emphasize two points which perhaps need some clarification.

First, there is the question of Al Quds, that is, Jerusalem. Al Quds is indeed the capital of Palestine. The Palestinian people have the right to see their capital in Al Quds. That is one of their inalienable rights.

But it is more than that. What is involved here is the major importance of Haram Al-Sharif, in the city of Al-Quds, to all Muslims throughout the world. We must recognize that human rights include spiritual rights -- the right of respect for what is sacred. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the forty-sixth anniversary of which we will commemorate in a few days, should make that point clear. It is a question of spiritual rights and of the right of one spiritual community to the respect, by another spiritual community, of what it holds sacred.

For 14 centuries, up until 1948, Muslims respected the right of Jewish and Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land, because Islam recognizes the sacred origin of Judaism and Christianity. Muslims have received God's command to tell the Jews and the Christians, "Your God is our God". The administration of Islam's places of pilgrimage must be in the hands of those who respect the three religions, that is to say, the Muslims.

In implementation of Security Council resolution 242 (1968), Israel could end its occupation of Al-Quds, which would allow Muslims from around the world to make the pilgrimage freely and without hindrance from an occupying army -- a pilgrimage to places that are very important in the Islamic religion.

The second point is Al-Khalil -- Hebron -- and the Mosque of Abraham. Mention was made here of the killing, on 25 February last, of Muslims who, before sunrise, were fasting and praying to the God of Abraham. The Security Council held several meetings on this question, and countries that are not members of the Council were able to express their views. Indeed, my delegation explained the meaning of the word "Al-Khalil" -- that is, "intimate and privileged friend". That is what God called Abraham:

"For God did take Abraham for a friend" (The Holy Koran, IV:125).

In sura XXII of the Holy Koran, the last two verses tell us that God called upon all believers, not just the Arabs, to proclaim that Muslims belong to the religion of Abraham, that Abraham is spiritual father of all believers -- Arab and non-Arab.

Mr. Farhadi (Afghanistan)

"it is the cult of your father Abraham." (The Holy Koran, XXII:78)

Mr. Farhadi (Afghanistan)

and that believers were called Muslims by Abraham himself, in the language of his time; the word "Muslim" means "those who submit to God". The Koran, in addressing believers, said that they must be witness to all of humankind on this point.

Mr. Farhadi (Afghanistan)

"Be witnesses for mankind." (The Holy Koran, ibid)

Mr. Farhadi (Afghanistan)

It is clear, therefore, that Abraham is the spiritual father of all believers: Jews, Christians and Muslims. It is also clear that ending the occupation of Hebron -- Al-Khalil -- would allow Muslim pilgrims from throughout the world, as well as Jewish and Christian pilgrims, to visit, without hindrance from an occupying army, those places of pilgrimage, as had been possible for 14 centuries.

To those who feel that my statement has not conformed to the usual United Nations style, and even to non-believers, I would say that the commitment of all Muslims world wide to Haram al-Sharif and to the Mosque of Abraham in Hebron is a cultural and political fact that is of universal scope.