January 1989, Page 5

What They Said

Excerpts from the address by PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat before the United Nations General Assembly, Geneva, Switzerland Dec. 13, 1988.

I said in concluding my address in our first encounter that, as chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization and leader of the Palestinian Revolution, I reaffirm that we do not wish to see a drop of Jewish or Arab blood shed, that we do not want the continuation of the fighting for one extra minute...

The last thing I said from this rostrum was that war breaks out from Palestine and that peace starts in Palestine. The dream we entertained at the time was to establish a democratic state of Palestine in which Muslims, Christians and Jews would live with equal rights and obligations as one unified community, like other peoples in this contemporary world...

Didn't we, Mr. President, take the initiative of relying on the Charter and resolutions of the United Nations, the Declaration of Human Rights, and international legitimacy as the basis for the settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict?

Did we not welcome the Vance-Gromyko communique of 1977 as a move that could form the basis of a proposed settlement to this conflict?

Did we not agree to participate in the Geneva Conference on the basis of the American- Egyptian statement of 1977 to push forward the prospects of a settlement and peace in the region?

Did we not endorse the Arab peace plan in Fez in 1982 and later the call for an international peace conference under the auspices of the United Nations and in keeping with its resolutions?

Did we not underwrite the Brezhnev plan for peace in the Middle East?

Did we not welcome and support the Venice Declaration by the European Community on this basis for a just peace in the area?

Did we not welcome and support the joint initiative of Presidents Gorbachev and Mitterand on a preparatory committee for the international conference?

Did we not welcome scores of political statements and initiatives put forward by African, Islamic, non-aligned, socialist, European, and other groups and states for the purpose of finding a peaceful settlement based on the principles of international legitimacy?

What has been the response of Israel on all this, even though not a single one of the aforementioned initiatives or communiques lacks political balance or overlooks the claims and interests of all the parties to the Arab-Israeli conflict?

Israel's response to all this has been the escalation of its settlements and annexation schemes; the fanning of the flames of conflict with more destruction, devastation and bloodshed; and the expansion of the confrontation fronts to include brotherly Lebanon, which was invaded by the occupation troops in 1982, an invasion punctuated with slaughters and massacres perpetrated against the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples, including the Sabra and Shatila massacres. Until this moment, Israel continues to occupy parts of South Lebanon and Lebanon faces daily raids as well as air, sea and land attacks on its cities and villages and on our camps in the South.

It is painful and regrettable that the American government alone should continue to back these aggressive and expansionist schemes as well as Israel's continued occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories, its crimes and its iron-fist policy against our children and women.

Reminder to the American Public

It is painful and regrettable too that the American government should continue refusing to recognize the right of six million Palestinians to self-determination, a right which is sacred to the American people and other peoples on this planet.

I remind them of the position of President Wilson, author of the two universal principles of international relations, i.e. the inadmissability of the acquisition of territory by force and the right of peoples to self-determination. I remind them too that when the Palestinian people were consulted by the King-Crane Commission in 1919, they chose the United States as the mandatory power. Circumstances having prevented that, the mandate was Oven to Britain. My question to the American people is this: Is it fair that the Palestinian people should be deprived of what President Wilson prescribed?

The successive American administrations realize that the only birth certificate for the establishment of the State of Israel is Resolution 181, approved by the General Assembly on 29 November 1947, and endorsed at the time by the United States and the Soviet Union, It provides for the establishment of two states in Palestine, one Palestinian Arab and one Jewish.

How then does the American government explain its position which acknowledges and recognizes the half of that resolution that pertains to Israel and rejects the half pertaining to the Palestinian state? How does the United States government explain its lack of commitment to the execution of a resolution which it has endorsed on more than one occasion in your esteemed Assembly, i.e. (UNGA) Resolution 194, which provides for the right of the Palestinians to return to the homes and properties from which they were evicted and for compensation for those wishing to exercise this right?

The United States government knows that neither the U.S. nor anyone else has the right to apportion international legitimacy and fragment the provisions of international law...

This worldwide embrace of our just cause, pressing for the realization of peace based on justice, demonstrated clearly that the world has unequivocally identified the predator and the prey, the aggressor and the victim, the struggler for freedom and peace, and the terrorist...

Courageous and Honorable Jews

We realize that there are within and outside Israel courageous and honorable Jewish people who do not condone the Israeli government's policy of repression, massacres, expansion, settlement and expulsion and who recognize the equal rights of our people to life, freedom and independence. On behalf of the Palestinian people, I thank them all for their courageous and honorable stance.

Our people does not want a right which is not its own or for which has not been vested in it by international legitimacy and international law. It does not seek its freedom at the expense of anyone else's freedom, nor does it want a destiny which negates the destiny of another people. Our people wants to be the equal of all other peoples, with the same rights and obligations...

No one, Mr. President, would dispute the fact that the Palestine problem is the problem of our contemporary world. It is the oldest on your agenda. It is the most intricate and complex. Of the regional issues, it poses the most serious threat to international peace and security. Hence its priority among the issues which should command the attention of the two superpowers and all the countries of the world. Hence the need for an effort to outline a course for its equitable solution—a solution that would spread peace across the Middle East...

The first and decisive resolution of our Palestine National Council was the proclamation of the establishment of the State of Palestine, with the Holy City of Jerusalem as its capital. The State of Palestine was declared...

In it (the Palestinian Arab people) shall develop their national and cultural identity and enjoy full equality in rights. Their religious and political beliefs and their human dignity shall be safeguarded under a democratic parliamentary system of government built on the freedom of opinion; and on the freedom to form parties; and on the protection of the rights of the minority by the majority and respect of the decisions of the majority by the minority; and on social justice and equal rights, free of ethnic, religious, racial or sexual discrimination; and on a constitution that guarantees the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary; and on the basis of total allegiance to the centuries-old spiritual and civilizational Palestinian heritage of religious tolerance and coexistence.

The State of Palestine ... is committed to the Charter of the League of Arab States, the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the principles of non-alignment. It is a peace-loving state committed to the principles of peaceful coexistence and it shall strive with all states and peoples to attain a permanent peace built on justice and respect of rights.

It is a state which believes in the settlement of international and regional disputes by peaceful means in accordance with the Charter and resolutions of the United Nations. It rejects threats of force or violence or terrorism or the use of these against its territorial integrity and political independence or the territorial integrity of any other state, without prejudice to its natural right to defend its territory and independence. It is a state which believes that the future can only bring security to those who are just or have come back to justice...

Equal Rights on a Reciprocal Basis

While we greatly appreciate the free American voices that have explained and supported our position and resolutions, we note that the US administration remains uncommitted to even-handedness in its dealings with the parties to the conflict. It continues to demand from us alone the acceptance of positions which cannot be determined prior to negotiation and dialogue within the framework of the international conference. I would point out here that the answer to the many questions being posed, regardless of their source, rests solely on the acceptance of the equality of the two parties to the conflict and on the recognition of their equal rights on a reciprocal basis..

Our Palestine National Council has reaffirmed its commitment to the U.N. resolutions that uphold the right of peoples to resist foreign occupation, colonialism and racial discrimination, and their right to struggle for independence. It has also reaffirmed its rejection of terrorism in all its forms, including state terrorism...

This position, Mr. President, is clear and free of all ambiguity. And yet, I, as chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, hereby once more declare that I condemn terrorism in all its forms...

The situation in our Palestinian homeland can bear no more waiting. Our people and our children, leading our march to liberty, holding aloft the torch of freedom, are being martyred daily for the sake of ending the occupation and laying the foundation of peace in their free, independent homeland and in the region as a whole...

Palestine Peace Initiative

I therefore present the following Palestinian peace initiative:

First: That a serious effort be made to convene, under the supervision of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the preparatory committee of the international conference for peace in the Middle East ... to pave the way for the convening of the international conference, which commands universal support except from the government of Israel.

Second: In view of our belief in international legitimacy and the vital role of the United Nations, that actions be undertaken to place our occupied Palestinian land under temporary United Nations supervision, and that international forces be deployed there to protect our people and, at the same time, to supervise the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from our country.

Third: The PLO will seek a comprehensive settlement among the parties concerned in the Arab-Israeli conflict, including the State of Palestine, Israel and other neighbors, within the framework of the international conference, for peace in the Middle East on the basis of Resolutions 242 and 338 and so as to guarantee equality and the balance of interests, especially our people's rights in freedom, national independence, and respect the right to exist in peace and security for all...

Achieving Goals Through Peaceful Means

I hope it is clear to everyone that our Palestinian people, determined though they are to gain their legitimate national rights to self-determination, repatriation and the ending of the occupation of the Palestinian state's territory, are equally determined to strive for those goals by peaceful means within the framework of the international conference under the sponsorship of the United Nations and in accordance with its Charter and resolutions. I assure you that, like all other peoples on Earth, we are a people that yearns for peace...

I come to you in the name of my people, offering my hand so that we can make true peace, peace based on justice.

Addressing Israel

I ask the leaders of Israel to come here, under the sponsorship of the United Nations, so that, together, we can forge that peace. I say to them, as I say to you, that our people, who want dignity, freedom and peace for themselves and security for their state, want the same things for all the states and parties involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

And here, I would address myself specifically to the Israeli people in all their parties and forces, and especially to the advocates of democracy and peace among them. I say to them: Come, let us make peace. Cast away fear and intimidation. Leave behind the specter of the wars that have raged continuously in the furnace of this conflict for the past 40 years, set aside all threats of wars to come, whose fuel could only be the bodies of our children and yours. Come, let us make peace. Let us make the peace of the bold, far from the arrogance of power and the weapons of destruction; far from occupation and oppression and humiliation and murder and torture.

"Say: 'O People of the Book! Come to common terms,"' so that we can build peace in the land of peace, the land of Palestine. "Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men." "O Lord, thou art the peace, and the peace is of you, and the peace shall return unto you. Let us live, O Lord, in peace, and enter Heaven thy house, the house of peace."

Finally, I say to our people: The dawn approaches. Victory is at hand. I see the homeland in your holy stones. I see the flag of our independent Palestine fluttering over the hills of our beloved homeland.

Thank you. Peace be upon you, and God's mercy and His blessings.

Enough is Enough

Excerpts from the text of the Dec. 14 press conference statement by PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat in Geneva.

Let me highlight my views before you. Our desire for peace is a strategy and not an interim tactic. We are bent to peace, come what may.

Our statehood provides salvation to the Palestinians and peace to both Palestinians and Israelis. Self-determination means survival for the Palestinians.

And our survival does not destroy the survival of the Israelis as their rulers claim.

Yesterday in my speech I made a reference to the United Nations resolution 181 as the basis for Palestinian independence. I also made a reference to our acceptance of resolutions 242 and 338 as the basis for negotiation with Israel within the framework of an international conference. These three resolutions were endorsed at our Palestinian National Council session in Algiers.

In my speech also yesterday it was clear that we mean our peoples' right to freedom and national independence according to resolution 181 and the right of all parties concerned in the Middle East conflict to exist in peace and security and, as I have mentioned, including the state of Palestine and Israel and other neighbors according to the resolutions 242 and 338.

As for terrorism, I renounced it yesterday in no uncertain terms and yet I repeat for the record that we totally and absolutely renounce all forms of terrorism, including individual, group, and state terrorism. Between Geneva and Algiers, we have made our position crystal clear.

Any more talk such as the Palestinians should give more—you remember this slogan, the Palestinians should give more—or it is not enough, or the Palestinians are engaging in propaganda games and public relations exercises, will be damaging and counterproductive.

Enough is enough. Enough is enough. Enough is enough. All remaining matters should be discussed around the table and within the international conference.

Let it be absolutely clear that neither Arafat nor any one else, for that matter, can stop the intifadah, the uprising. The intifadah will come to an end only when practical and tangible steps have been taken toward the achievement of our national aims and the establishment of our independent Palestinian state.

In this context, I expect the European Economic Community to play a more effective role in promoting peace in our region. They have political responsibility, they have moral responsibility and they can deal with it.

Finally, I declare before you and I ask you to kindly quote me on that: We want peace. We want peace. We are committed to peace. We want to live in our Palestinian state and let live.

The US is Ready for Dialogue

Excerpts from the text of the Dec. 14 press conference statement by US Secretary of State George Shultz in Washington, DC.

The Palestine Liberation Organization today issued a statement in which it accepted LIN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, recognized Israel's right to exist in peace and security, and renounced terrorism. As a result, the United States is prepared for a substantive dialogue with PLO representatives.

I am designating our ambassador to Tunisia as the only authorized channel for that dialogue. The objective of the United States remains, as always, a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

In that light, I view this development as one more step toward the beginning of direct negotiations between the parties, which alone can lead to such a peace.

Nothing here may be taken to imply an acceptance or recognition by the United States of an independent Palestinian state. The position of the United States is that the status of the West Bank and Gaza cannot be determined by unilateral acts of either side, but only through a process of negotiation. The United States does not recognize the declaration of an independent Palestinian state.

It is also important to emphasize that the United States' commitment to the security of Israel remains unflinching.