Address of H. E. President Arafat
At the fifth extraordinary summit of
The Organization of the African Unity
Held in
The Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Al-‘Uzmă
Sirte
March 1st – 2nd, 2001
His Excellency, brother, Leader Muammar Al – Qdahafi,
His Excellency, brother, President Gnassingbé Eyadema,
Your Majesties, Your Excellencies,
His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan,
His Excellency, brother, Dr. Esmat Abdel-Majeed
His Excellency, brother, Dr. Abdel-Wahid Balqaziz,
His Excellency, brother, Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
First, I would like to express to you my heartfelt thanks, on behalf of the Palestinian people, their militants and their blessed Intefadah, for your brotherly invitation to attend the fifth extraordinary summit of the leaders, governments and states of the Organization of the African Unity, which coincides with the memorial day of setting up the people’s authority in the brotherly Jamahiriya. Let me also express my sincere congratulations to our great brother, militant and leader, Muammar al-Qadafi, whom we keep for, all love, respect and appreciation; and through him to the Libyan government and the brotherly Libyan people; thanking him for the warm welcome and the generous hospitality. I would like also to express my greetings and appreciation for brother, President Gnassingbé Eyadema for the efforts he has exerted in leading the African Summit in all fields in Africa, and in all directions.
I avail myself of this occasion, to express, from this rostrum, my sincerest thanks and gratitude for the leaders of the brotherly and friendly states of Africa, who stand beside us in weal and woe and during this critical and sensitive stage, which our Palestinian people are passing through. You were always the best supporters and assistants for us. We are quite confident that your solidarity and support for our people will be continued and reinforced to enable our Palestinian people fulfill their noble national rights and establish their independent state with al-Quds ash-Shareef as its capital.
Mr. President
Your Majesties, Your Excellencies,
As you know, we are living in the time of the great economic blocs. We are also facing globalization with its challenges and systems. The normal reply to face these challenges is to strengthen the unity, which has been launched out by some African countries, and through establishing the joint free-trade market Zone for East and South Africa, the Economic Group for the States of West Africa, and through the brave proposal of the brother, leader Muammar al – Qadafi to form the African Union, which your Summit is convening to ratify and sign its constitution. There is no doubt that this ambitious fact deserves all support, both, on the African and international levels, because it will make Africa a strong political and economic power that can take up and employ all the creative minds and innovative experiences. Hence, I have to evaluate, highly, the great role and devoted efforts exerted by my brother, leader Muammer al - Qadafi; side by side with the African Leaders, to solve the problems and approach the views to end the disputes in Africa, activate and reinforce the performance of the Organization of the African Unity (OAU), and to raise up and unify the joint work of Africa for the benefit and progress of the peoples of Africa as a whole.
The convening of your summit at this time gains a great importance, especially during the positive development of Africa, both, on the political and economic levels, and in solving the existing disputes. We highly appreciate, within this context, the sincere efforts exerted by H.E. President Abdelaziz Bu – Taflika, with the help and wisdom of the other African leaders, the Secretary General of the OAU and Mr. Kofi Annan. These efforts helped in putting an end for the difficult dispute between the two neighbors Ethiopia and Eriterea. This work, by itself, is considered a great achievement for Africa and the peoples of the two countries.
The signing of the peace agreement on the issue of Burundi is considered an important step in this direction. By such sincere efforts, cooperation and strong will, we can find permanent and effective solutions for the disputes in the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros and in the Democratic Congo, as the renewal of the commitment in Lusaka’s agreement for peace by all parties, through your assistance and determination, will provide the permanent solution.
We, highly, appreciate the efforts of HE brother, President Ismail Guillah – President of the Republic of Djiboti –, which was crowned by the national reconciliation between the belligerents in Somalia. This reconciliation has enabled the brotherly Somalia under the leadership of my brother HE President Salad Hasan, to participate in a unified delegation in this summit. For that, we express our heartfelt felicitations for them. As we are talking about these subjects, we should Praise the efforts of, our friend in struggle, the president and great leader Nilson Mandela, who played with his brothers, the African leaders, a very great and important role in solving these disputes, especially in the Democratic Congo, where he laid the proper bases to end the disputes and civil wars in this African country.
Subsequently, and far from the external interferences, the African countries became, through their efforts and their wise and courageous policy, able to find suitable solutions for their problems, and able to solve the disputes between them through peaceful means and dialogue. There is no doubt that this experiment will enable the African states develop the relations of unity and solidarity among them on a solid basis of coordination, cooperation and completeness in order to face the present and future political, social and economic challenges. All these political and economic achievements you have accomplished, reflect the presence of the strong and vital momentum to consolidate cooperation and continental integration, to overcome the obstacles and establish stronger ties between the regional economic groups of the African Unity. All that will be in the interest of reinforcing security, stability and peace in Africa and in consolidating the efforts and capacities towards achieving development in all its dimensions and forms.
Mr. President,
Your Majesties, Your Excellencies,
As you know, we, the Palestinian people, are facing all the lethal weapons of the Israeli aggressive and fierce war for more than five months. Israel is using in this war all its murderous weapons. Israel is escalating its military aggression by using weapons and poisons gases that are internationally prohibited. In addition to that, the Israeli occupation forces has adopted the policies of assassination of our cadres, demolishing of houses, shoveling away thousands of donums of the planted grounds, damaging farms, factories, schools and educational institutions, uprooting and burning the productive trees and damaging water wells. This Israeli war and these actions of killing, bombardment and terrorism against our people are accompanied with imposing a comprehensive and monstrous siege on our people in their cities and villages. This land, sea and air siege has paralyzed the internal movement and transport between cities and villages, in addition to the closure of the Airport and the international crossing points to Jordan and Egypt. Besides, Israel fired out our workers and destroyed our factories through preventing us from importing the raw materials, and so, more than (365) thousand workers became workless.
Israel is following a destructive plan for our national economy and its infrastructures. This plan aims at killing our people’s spirit of steadfastness and resistance and shaking their belief and will in defending their Muslim and Christian sanctuaries and inalienable national rights. Moreover, the Israeli policy aims at crippling and paralyzing the work of the establishments of the Palestinian National Authority through seizing the money of the taxes, which has reached hundreds of millions of US. $. In addition to all that, Israel has separated the cities from each other, by laying a siege on them and paralyzing the internal and external import and export. These actions led to a considerable decrease of the incomes of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and an increase in the deficit shortage of its budget. Hence, we want to ask a question, and let, through you, all the liberals and the eminent people of the world hear our voice. Is there any similar case in our world of today, where the whole people of a country are being exposed to an ethnic and aggressive siege like the one imposed on our Palestinian people by Israel, its occupational army and its settlers?! A siege, which is, imposed on the whole people including women and children. A siege on the Islamic and Christian sanctuaries, in addition to the feverish attempts to destroy our establishments and strangle our income. Is it by such a policy, security and peace, which are vital for all the peoples of the region, could be achieved?! The Israeli government is hindering the peace process, which has been launched with my late partner Yitshaq Rabin and preventing the implementation of the signed peace agreements from Madrid peace conference, Oslo, Cairo, Washington, Paris, Sharm – ash – Sheikh and others.
The outcome of this siege and the continuous oppressive Israeli aggression on our people is very great from many sides. Regarding the human losses; the number of martyrs exceeded, within this short period of time, (500) people and more than (22000) Palestinians were injured. About (6000) people of them were affected by permanent disablement, in addition to the destructive psychological and social influences left on our children and young people by this aggression, and the arrest of thousands of our people by the Israeli occupation forces. Regarding the economic losses in the different sectors; the losses have exceeded three billion dollars. The Palestinian Gross National product, (GNP) has decreased sharply because of the closure, unemployment and the crippling of the trade movement, which has resulted on the industrial, agricultural, touristic, investment and employment sectors because of this tyrannical siege in a keen negative way. The unemployment exceeded 70% and the number of people under poverty line has raised to reach more than (1.5) million according to the statistics presented by the report of the Special Coordinator of the United Nations in Palestine. The report also pointed out the severe social and economic situation in the Palestinian lands because of the continuous military escalation, siege and closure.
Mr. President
Your Majesties, Your Excellencies,
This is the summation of the developments of the tragically situations that our people are passing through. We are facing a barefaced Israeli aggression; an aggression, which is challenging all conventions, legislations, laws and international resolutions. Is it by such a policy of killing, terrorism, assassination, starving and laying sieges, the just and comprehensive peace – the peace of the brave – could be achieved in our region? ! Israel should know that it could not impose its aggressive solution on our people and the whole region. Security could not be achieved, except through, enhancing the just, durable and comprehensive peace in the region, and through the full implementation of all the agreements and international resolutions.
The peace of the brave, which we have chosen as our aim, through a strong and deeply rooted satisfaction, is the one that will enable our Palestinian people end the occupation of their land and sanctuaries in all its forms. It is the peace that will enable us to restore and practice our inalienable rights in return, self-determination and establish our independent state with Al-Quds ash-Shareef as its capital.
Mr. President,
Your Majesties, Your Excellencies,
With reference to the ties of brotherly friendship, struggle solidarity and constructive cooperation existing between us for so many years; we urge you all, as brothers and friends of our Palestinian people to move urgently, using your power of effective interference to all loving-powers of freedom, justice and peace in the world and international gatherings, with the UN and the Security Council on top of them, to oblige Israel stop its destructive war and end its oppressive siege on our people. We also urge you to support our just request to provide our people with the required international protection, which has become an urgent and necessary thing, as Israel is still going on its war against us. Moreover, we want you to urge these powers to activate the recommendations of the High-Commissioner of human Rights Mrs. Mary Robenson, to activate the work of the International Committee for Investigation and to push forward towards directing an invitation for a meeting of the states that signed the Fourth Geneva Convention and the international resolutions in order to implement them on the Palestinian occupied lands, including Al-Quds ash-Shareef.
The return of calmness, stability and security to the region is subjected, to a great extent, to the Israeli government commitment to the basis of Madrid Conference for peace, the international legality resolutions on which the peace process was based since it was launched, the commitment to the signed agreements and the implementation of their dues, the total refrain from building and enlarging settlements and the release of all Palestinian prisoners and detainees in the Israeli jails. The commitment to implement these steps will create the positive atmosphere to resume the peace negotiations on the final issues from the point that has been reached in Taba, and according to the reference of the peace process and the resolutions 242, 338, 425 and 194 in order to achieve and build the just and comprehensive peace in the region, and on all the Arabic tracks; the Syrian, the Lebanese and the Palestinian ones. The fruits of such a peace will, certainly, prevail over the peoples and countries of the region on an equal basis.
Finally, I renew my gratitude and appreciation, to you all, for offering me the chance to inform you of what has been occupying us and what has our people been exposed to; wishing you all success for this extraordinary summit. I hope that you will reach the decisions and recommendations that will serve the benefits and aspirations of the peoples of Africa in unity, progress, development and prosperity.
Peace be upon you