Back to PLO Bulletin 1-15 July 1979

SEMINAR ON DIMENSIONS OF CAMP DAVID

The seminar on "The Political, Economic, Military and Legal Dimensions of the Camp David Accords and its Repercussions on the Future of the Conflict in the Region", organised by the PLO Unified Information, was held on June 19 at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Beirut.

The inaugural session was attended by representatives of the local, Arab and foreign press and by a number of specialists including Dr. Igor Balaye from the USSR, as well as representatives from the GDR, Jordan, Democratic Yemen, Egypt, Syria, Algeria, Libya and Palestine.

The opening speech was delivered by Ziad Abdel Fattah, Director-General of the Palestine News Agency, WAFA, who said that in the face of the Camp David accords, there is no place for rhetoric. There should either be serious and planned confrontation matching the size of the forthcoming dangers, or humiliating surrender to U.S. imperialism. He added: "There lies the importance of this seminar, which represents a serious attempt to place matters in their correct context and to inform the masses about the real dangers of the Camp David conspiracy planned by U.S. imperialism." Abdel Fattah added that the savage attacks on South Lebanon are one of the fruits of Camp David.

Majed Abu Sharar, Secretary of Fateh Revolutionary Council, addresses seminar

Majed Abu Sharar, Secretary of the Fateh Revolutionary Council, then spoke in the name of the Palestinian Revolution and of Yasser Arafat, stressing that "the Camp David agreement is a violation of the just peace for which we are struggling and a blatant attempt to establish a U.S.-Zionist-Sadat alliance aiming to make the whole Arab region submit to U.S. influence and interests and maintain Israel's place as a military power at the expense of the rights of the Arab people."

In the first day's sessions, studies were presented by: Dr. Ghassan Rifa'i from Syria about "The effects of the treaty on the links between imperialist interests and Zionist ambitions for the economic control of the region."; Ahmad Jaber on "The illegal essence of the Camp David agreements."; Mr. Haytham al-Ayyoubi on "The military results of the Egyptian-Israeli agreement."; Dr. Hassan Doudin on "The role of information in confronting the result of the treaty."; Fouad al Tohami from the Egyptian National Movement on "The Carter-Sadat-Begin treaty: Introduction, facts and possibilities."; and Samir Jabbour from the Institute of Palestine Studies, Beirut, on "Israeli ambitions for economic infiltration in the Arab world."

Seminar affirms Camp David accords as "war, not peace"

Papers presented at the second day's session included, "The background and political aims of the Camp David accords" by Abdullah al-Hamishi from Libya; "The methods and forms of struggle in the Arab Nation to confront the economic repercussions of the Camp David accords" by Hussain Abu al-Naml (Palestine); and "The role of Zionist capital in imperialist economic infiltration in Egypt and the Middle East", by Dr. Igor Belayev from the USSR.

Dr. Belayev confirmed the necessity of supporting the Palestinian Revolution under the leadership of the PLO, as well as all Arab progressive and nationalist forces in order to foil the Zionist-reactionary, imperialist-sponsored conspiracy. He reaffirmed the support of the Soviet people and government for the Palestinian people's just struggle to regain their national rights.

The seminar ended its meetings on the evening of June 20 with a press conference and an address by Farouk Kadoumi, Head of PLO Political Department.

WAFA's Director General, Ziad Abdel Fattah, read the concluding political communique which had been adopted at the final session, and a call addressed to the representatives of all Arab, Islamic and Non-Aligned and friendly news agencies.

COMMUNIQUE

"The participants consider the Camp David accords and the Carter-Begin-Sadat treaty to be aimed at war and not peace, and call all news agencies and information media in the Arab, Islamic, Non-aligned and friendly states to:

1. Reveal the danger represented by the U.S.-Zionist plot to recolonise the Arab region and to expose and condemn the local and international forces working in complicity and cooperation with this plot.

2. Expose all distortions regarding the real situation in the region and the USA's allegations that it plays a 'constructive' 'pro-Arab' role, and foil all attempts to present the U.S. in a form that contradicts its hostile intentions against the aspirations of the Arab people.

3. Reveal the Sadat regime's contribution to the conspiracy being implemented against the Arab and African liberation movements.

4. Support the Egyptian nationalist and progressive forces in their struggle against the agent Egyptian regime to bring about its downfall and foil the U.S.-Zionist-reactionary plot.

5. Mobilize public opinion in support of the Palestinian people in their legitimate and just struggle to regain their right to their land and establish their secular democratic state.

6. Consolidate and develop relations with Arab and friendly information apparatuses, and strive for the formation of a broad information front to expose the policies and plans of neo-imperialism and Zionism.

7. Expose the policy of normalising relations between Egypt and the Zionist enemy, which in fact means annexing the Egyptian economy to the Zionist economy; and impose a boycott on all states, firms or individuals that get involved in the policy.

8. Support all efforts exerted to set up an eastern front, in order to restore the strategic balance which was disrupted by the Egyptian regime's withdrawal from the battle.

9. Support and consolidate strategic relations with the natural ally: the Socialist camp, headed by the Soviet Union.

10. Support the struggle of the Palestinian Revolution under the leadership of the PLO, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, in its confrontation with the colonialist offensives against the land, people and cause.

11. Salute the Palestinian masses inside the occupied territories and their heroic uprising, in their on-going struggle against all forms of conspiracy and suspect moves, most recent of which is the self-rule conspiracy."

THE CALL:

"The participants in the conference call on all news agencies in the Arab, Non-Aligned, Islamic and friendly states to:

1. Form a broad information front to actively spread news and propaganda in order to confront the dangerous situation emerging from the Camp David accords.

2. Strive to expose the policy of imperialism, Zionism and their local accomplices.

3. Expose and foil all attempts to present the USA - on the information level - in a way that belies its aggressive intentions against the aspirations of the Arabs.

4. Inform their respective local public opinion about the true aims of Zionist-imperialist plots in the region and mobilise world public opinion to support Arab and Palestinian struggle against all attempts to control the region.

5. Mobilise world public opinion to support the Palestinian people's struggle, under PLO leadership, to regain their rights."