Democratic Palestine : 26 (ص 20)
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- Democratic Palestine : 26 (ص 20)
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NGO Meeting on Palestine
The fourth international meeting of
nongovernmental organizations (NGO)
on the Question of Palestine was held
September 7-9th, at the UN offices in
Geneva. The meeting was opened by
Massomba Sarre, chairman of the
Committee on the Exercise of the In-
ternational Rights of the Palestinian
People. Mr. Sarre stressed the urgent
need for additional constructive efforts
by all governments to convene an in-
ternational peace conference on the
Middle East without delay.
The chairman of the International
Coordinating Committee for NGOs on
the Question of Palestine, Donald Betz,
declared that 1987 was the Year of the
Palestinian People.
Diego Cordovez, UN undersecretary-
general for special political affairs, said
that it is a primary responsibility of the
UN to search for a solution to the
Palestinian problem.
The opening session concluded with
the speech of Yasir Arafat, chairman of
the PLO’s Executive Committee. Mr.
Arafat stated that peace in Palestine is
an indivisible part of international
peace and that the Palestinian people
insist on the convening of an interna-
tional peace conference under UN
auspices and based on _ international
legality.
PANEL ON INTER—
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Later on the first day, the NGO
meeting heard more speeches on the
subject of «The Need for and the
Urgency of Convening the Interna-
tional Peace Conference on the Middle
East, in accordance with UN General
Assembly resolution 38/58C.» The
keynote address was made by US Con-
gressman Nick Joe Rahall, who
criticized the US administration for
refusing to recognize and deal with the
PLO. He stated that it was an injustice
to label all Palestinians as terrorists.
Panelist Vladimir Vinogradov,
minister of foreign affairs for the
Soviet Russian Republic, stated that the
PLO and its friends had advanced
peaceful proposals aimed at a political
settlement, while Israel had not ad-
20
vanced a single peace initiative. On the
contrary, Israel has continued to block
the convention of an_ international
conference by putting forward various
obstacles, such as opposing the par-
ticipation of the USSR. Mr.
Vinogradov stressed that splitting the
peace process into bilateral efforts is
unacceptable, particularly because this
would give unilateral advantage to one
party. He said that the only way to a
peace settlement which would meet the
interests of all parties concerned was
within the framework of international
efforts, through convening a con-
ference under UN auspices.
Panelist Gordon Binley, member of
Australia’s parliament, declared that
any comprehensive and durable set-
tlement required recognition of the
rights of all states in the region to live
within secure and recognized borders,
Israeli return of the occupied Arab ter-
ritories, and resolution of the Palesti-
nian problem.
Peter Jankowitsch, member of
Austria’s parliament, said that the ma-
jor condition for the success of the in-
ternational conference was the par-
ticipation of all parties concerned with
the conflict. This should include the
Soviet Union, since any settlement in
the region should enjoy Soviet support.
He added that Europe should also par-
ticipate and stressed the vital role of the
UN.
Heath Nelson MacQuarrie, member
of the Canadian parliament, spoke
mainly about the tragedy inflicted on
the Palestinian people for forty years.
He advocated Israeli-Palestinian
dialogue.
Dr. M.S. Agwani, rector of
Jawaharlal Nehru University in India,
said the unresolved situation in the
Middle East has had disasterous con-
sequences not only for the region, but
for the whole world. He blamed Israel
for continuing to rely on its military
power. He added that the Camp David
accords did not bring peace since Israel
itself deviated from them by invading
Lebanon in 1982. He emphasized the
need for an international conference
and called for a more realistic US at-
titude towards the Middle East pro-
blem.
A representative of the All-India
Arab Friendship Association concluded
the panel by reiterating that a durable
and just peace could not be established
in the Middle East until the Palestinians
were able to exercise their inalienable
rights to self-determination and to
return to their homeland and shape
their own future.
The panel on the international con-
ference continued on September 8th.
Ibrahim Abu Loghod, PNC member
and professor of political science at
Northwestern University in the US,
characterized the Israeli policy in the
Middle East as colonialist. He noted
that Israel’s continued negation of the
peace initiatives and the Palestinian
people’s right to self-determination,
and the US position on the problem,
continue to stand in the way of a
peaceful settlement in the region.
Shafiq Al Hout, PLO representative
in Lebanon and PNC member, drew
attention to the dangers emanating
from the Iran-Iraq conflict and Israeli
nuclear armament.
Mattityahu Peled, member of the
Israeli Knesset and professor at Tel
Aviv University, criticized Israel’s
development of long-range nuclear
missiles and its agreement to house
VOA (Voice of America) transmitters
in its territory. He denounced the
Israeli and US attempts to exclude the
PLO and the Soviet Union from the
peace process, and pointed to the
possibility of new Israeli acts of ag-
gression.
The concluding panelist was Tawfiq - هو جزء من
- Democratic Palestine : 26
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