unitex@rubbs.fidonet.org (unitex) (10/03/89)
relations with Israel. The international community should
participate in an effort to rehabilitate the Palestinian refugee
camps in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
"We call on the Palestinian Arab population in Judea, Samaria and
Gaza", he said, "to cease acts of terrorism and violence, and we
announce our readiness to hold free democratic elections so they
can choose their representatives for negotiations with Israel on
an interim agreement and eventually on the terms of a permanent
settlement." There was no alternative way to move the Middle
Eastern peace process forward. Rejection of that initiative was
synonymous with rejecting progress towards peace.
"We call on all nations to support Israel's peace initiative", he
went on to say, "and we call on the Arab world to respond
favourably to it. This is not the time to attempt to wring
concessions from Israel that relate to the permanent
settlement. Our immediate objective must be to put an end to
violence and to get negotiations going. Puting the cart before
the horse can only stall the process itself."
If the representatives of the Palestinian Arab population in
Judea, Samaria and Gaza would come to the negotiating table
cognizant not only of the rights and aspirations of the
population that would have freely chosen them, but also aware of
Israel's rights and legitimate concerns, there was an excellent
chance that negotiations would lead to agreement. Moreover, the
democratic experience, not prevalent in the Middle East as yet,
would no doubt serve as an example to all the nations of the
area, he said.
PRINCE MOHAMED BOLKIAH, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brunei
Darussalam, said it was encouraging to note that the
international situation had changed bringing a new attitude to
solving conflicts; there was now a more conciliatory trend.
It was a sad fact, he said further, that the negotiation of
disputes did not always guarantee complete peace and stability.
In a number of cases, while negotiations had taken place,
violent hostilities or rivalry between the parties concerned
continued, and so hindered a comprehensive solution. This was
true of the Iran-Iraq conflict, Afghanistan, the Middle East,
South Africa and Kampuchea.
The Palestinian problem too remained a matter of great concern to
the international community. Israel still continued to pursue
its aggressive policy and refused to recognize the PLO
leadership. "Such a negative attitude, especially towards the
convening of an international conference, will only lead to the
escalation of violence and fighting in the occupied
territories", he stated. He welcomed the efforts of the League
of Arab States, through the Tripartite Commission, to mediate in
the Lebanese conflict
Further, he regretted that the recent international conference in
Paris did not succeed in bringing about a comprehensive
settlement of the problem of Kampuchea.
Regarding the situation in Kampuchea, he said the unilateral
withdrawal of the Vietnamese troops would not guarantee peace
and stability, unless there was an answer to the question of the
provisional or interim authority, from which the process of
national reconciliation and assurances of the observance of the
peace process should evolve. "At the Paris conference, the
parties concerned did not speak the language of reconciliation;
rather suspicion and rivalry predominated", he stated.
The lack of success should be attributed as much to the absence
of political will and unwillingness to compromise, as to failure
to subordinate sectional interests to greater national
interests. "It is vital that we do not abandon that commitment
to finding a peaceful comprehensive settlement", he concluded.
The President, JOSEPH N. GARBA (Nigeria), then brought to the
Assembly's attention a letter he had received from the
representative of Guinea-Bissau that called for the urgent
consideration of a draft resolution on the agenda item dealing
with the apartheid policies of South Africa.
Mr. GARBA said the draft resolution, the text of which would be
circulated later in the day, would be considered tomorrow
morning.
YOUSEF BIN ALAWI BIN ABDULLAH, Minister of State for Foreign
Affairs of (Oman), said that with the easing of formerly
strained relations between the forces of East and West and, in
particular, between the two super-Powers, a global dialogue had
been instituted so that the message of peace and the peaceful
settlement of disputes had begun to make its presence felt from
Kampuchea to Afghanistan and from the Arabian Gulf to southern
Africa. That positive climate and the international momentum
generated by the beginning of the end of polarization opened up
new prospects that must be sustained by one and all and by all
available means.
The momentum produced by the global dialogue, he said, gave hope
to the peoples of the Gulf region for the consolidation of peace
and co-operation. Under the auspices of the Secretary-General,
the negotiations between Iraq and Iran on the implementation of
Security Council resolution 598 were continuing. The only
provision of that resolution implemented so far was that
requiring the commitment of the two parties to a cease-fire.
Oman was aware both parties faced difficulties and that each of
them had compelling grounds for adhering to its own viewpoint
but believed that the need to achieve peace must be the paradigm
for the thinking of the two sides. Oman believed that it was
* Origin: UNITEX --> Toward a United Species (1:107/501)
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