Back to PLO Bulletin 1-15 September 1979

PALESTINE NOTES

FAROUK KADDOUMI SIGNS TURKISH-PALESTINIAN PROTOCOL TO OPEN PLO OFFICE

Farouk Kaddoumi

Farouk Kaddoumi, Head of the PLO Political Department, and the Turkish Foreign Minister Gunduz Okun, signed a diplomatic protocol on August 15 which officialises the opening of a PLO office in Ankara, and improves bilateral relations and cooperation between Turkey and the PLO. Farouk Kaddoumi made a statement on August 14 confirming that the Palestinian people will regain their national rights in the near future. He added that the USA has to recognise the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. Farouk Kaddoumi pointed out the role Turkey is expected to play in the Middle East problem, and expressed hope for the improvement of bilateral relations and cooperation between the PLO and Turkey. He also pointed out the necessity of improving Turkish-Arab relations.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Okun confirmed that the Palestine problem is the core of the Middle East struggle, and it is impossible to solve this problem without Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories and recognition of the basic legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, especially the right of return and the establishment of an independent national state. Okun stressed the importance of Farouk Kaddoumi's visit, and said that it is a new beginning of good relations between the PLO and Turkey.

ABU SALEH MEETS POLISH YOUTH DELEGATION

Polish Youth delegation

Abu Saleh, Member of the Fateh Central Committee and member of the General Command of the Assifa forces, on August 20 met with the Polish Youth delegation which was invited by the Higher Council for Palestinian Youth and Sports at the al-Toufoula School in Souk al-Gharb. Abu Saleh briefed the visiting delegation on the latest developments of the Palestine cause on the local, Arab and international levels. The Polish Youth delegation arrived in Beirut to visit the various institutions of the Palestinian Revolution and to participate in the International Student Work Camp sponsored by the General Union of Arab Students. The Polish delegation was also met by the PLO representative in Poland, Fouad Yasin. The delegation visited a number of the Palestinian Revolution's institutions, and the positions of Palestinian fighters in South Lebanon.

JOINT COMMUNIQUE OF PALESTINIAN-SOVIET PEACE COMMITTEES

A delegation of the Palestinian Committee for Peace and Solidarity visited the Soviet Union from August 13-20 in response to an invitation from the Soviet Committee for the Defence of Peace. The delegation was headed by Abdel Muhsin Abu Maizar, PLO Official Spokesman. The delegation participated in the conference of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, and met the Committee for the Defence of Peace in the Republic. The two parties issued a joint communique which stressed the following points, among others:

• Both sides expressed their approval of present Soviet-Palestinian relations, and recommended their strengthening.
• The two sides condemned imperialist policy in the Middle East, as expressed in the Camp David agreements, and particularly in the self-rule conspiracy. They considered such agreements a new conspiracy against the Palestinian people and the Arab liberation movement.
• The two sides condemned the organised Israeli aggressions and war of annihilation against the Palestinian people, both of which constitute a real threat to international peace and security, and condemned Israel's racist policy in the occupied territories, particularly land confiscation and annexation, establishment of Israeli settlements on Arab land, racial discrimination and oppression.
• The Soviet Committee for the Defence of Peace confirmed its support for the just struggle of the Palestinian people under the leadership of the PLO.
• The Palestinian side highly appreciated the support and aid of the Soviet Union and the Socialist Bloc.
• The two sides confirmed the impossibility of establishing a just peace in the Middle East without a complete and unconditional Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories and the guarantee of the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people, including their right of establishing an independent state according to U.N. General Assembly resolutions 3236 and 3237.
• Concerning the situation in South Africa, the two sides confirmed their support for the just struggle of the African national liberation movements against imperialism in Zimbabwe, Namibia and the South African Republic. The two sides also confirmed their support for the anti-imperialist tendencies of the Iranian Revolution, and the Republics of Afghanistan and Nicaragua in their struggle against the imperialist-reactionary conspiracies which aim at obstructing the revolutionary marches.
• The two sides then confirmed their support for the cause of peace in South-East Asia. They also expressed respect for the national and regional sovereignty of the area.
• Support was also confirmed for the Vietnamese people, whose victory against imperialism and its roots will remain a source of inspiration for people struggling for freedom, unity, national independence and social progress.

PALESTINIAN-JORDANIAN MEETING: SUPPORT PALESTINIAN STEADFASTNESS

On August 21, the following Palestinian-Jordanian joint communique was issued in Amman and Beirut following a meeting between King Hussein of Jordan and PLO Chairman Arafat:

"Upon the invitation of King Hussein of the Hashemite Republic of Jordan, Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the PLO Executive Committee and General Commander of the Forces of the Palestinian Revolution, visited Jordan on August 21, 1979. The Jordanian and Palestinian sides carried out extensive discussions, which included the latest developments on the Arab and international levels, the escalation of the Israeli aggressions on South Lebanon, the development of the means to support the Palestinian people's struggle inside the occupied territories, and the bilateral relations which are of common interest. Both parties confirmed in their talks, which took place in a friendly atmosphere, the agreements reached in their last meeting in al-Mafraq on May 17, 1979.

"Both parties agreed to practical steps to fortify coordination between them on all levels and in all issues, primarily the support of the Palestinian people's steadfastness in the face of the Camp David agreements, their follow-ups and consequences. Both parties also confirmed their intention to continue the struggle against the occupation and Israeli racist practices in the Arab and Palestinian occupied territories, particularly concerning the policies of annexation, desecration of holy places in Jerusalem, Hebron and elsewhere, establishment of settlements, repression of liberties and expulsion and deportation of Palestinian citizens from their homeland in defiance of the principles, Charters and resolutions of the U.N., as well as the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Declaration of Human Rights.

"The two parties also expressed their intention to confront all Israeli attempts to destroy the unity of the Arab cause, the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people as confirmed by international legitimacy, and the attempts to split the unity of the Palestinian people and its representation by its sole legitimate representative, the PLO. The Palestinian and Jordanian sides finally confirmed their intention to support the march of Arab solidarity, as embodied in the Ninth Arab Summit Conference held in Baghdad and its resolutions, as well as the joint activities for safeguarding and implementation of these resolutions. The Palestinian side expressed its appreciation to King Hussein for his invitation, and for his special concern for the development of coordination between the two parties."

PALESTINE NOTES PALESTINIAN-ROMANIAN COMMUNIQUE DEMANDS IMMEDIATE ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL FROM OCCUPIED ARAB LAND

At the conclusion of the talks between Romanian President Nicolae Ceaucescu and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, on August 25-26, a joint communique was issued including the following main points:

President Ceancescu meeting with Chairman Arafat

"At the invitation of the Secretary General of the Romanian Communist Party, Comrade Nicolae Ceaucescu, Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the PLO Executive Committee and General Commander of the Forces of the Palestinian Revolution, carried out an official visit to the Socialist Republic of Romania on August 25 and 26, during which several discussions were held between the two leaders and their respective delegations.

"Both sides stated that the Middle East situation is a dangerous one which requires continuous and intensified activity for the achievement of a just solution to the Palestine question and a just peace, which will not be achieved without the participation of the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. They also confirmed that a complete and immediate Israeli withdrawal from the 1967 occupied territories and the achievement of Palestinian national rights are imperative for peace.

"President Ceausescu also confirmed the importance of Arab solidarity for the liberation of the land; and both leaders confirmed that the U.N. could and should have a more active part in the achievement of peace. This, they stressed, can be achieved through the adoption by the Security Council of new resolutions which confirm the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people, as they are set forth in the resolutions of the U.N. General Assembly.

"Both parties also condemned the Israeli aggressions on Lebanon, its intervention in its internal affairs, its continued attempts to divide Lebanon and increase tension, as well as the annihilation of the Palestinian people living in Lebanon. They confirmed the need to set a limit to these Israeli practices, as well as the policies adopted in the occupied Arab territories, mainly the establishment of settlements, violation of historical and cultural heritage, acts of racism and persecution applied against the Arabs, and their expulsion from their lands with the aim of changing the land's demographic character and consecrating the Israeli occupation.

"President Ceausescu further confirmed his people's support for the just cause of the Palestinian people under the PLO leadership, and Rumania's willingness in the future to make all efforts to contribute to the achievement of a comprehensive, just and permanent peace in the region."

PLO AT UN CONFERENCE FOR EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY

Walid Qamhawi, member of the PLO Executive Committee and head of the PLO delegation to the U.N Conference for Education and Technology in the service of development, currently meeting in the Austrian capital, Vienna, in a speech delivered to the Conference on August 27, confirmed that repeated Israeli aggressions have hindered the natural development of a Palestinian society. The Israeli war machine which is opposed to education and technology, posed and still poses a dangerous challenge to the Palestinian people. The Palestinian people, he went on, have responded positively and in a constructive manner to this challenge by acquiring education and technology as a means of survival and for the development of Palestinian society.

VENEZUELA TO RECOGNISE THE PLO

The Secretary of the Committee for the Defence of the Arab Cause in Venezuela confirmed, in a statement issued August 29, that his government is about to recognise the PLO. The recognition is to be officially announced next week; and a Palestinian delegation will leave for Caracas to inaugurate the opening of the PLO office. He added that this resolution was delayed because of Israeli pressures on the Venezuelan government. He declared that he expects the Zionists to carry out a large-scale campaign against such a resolution. He finally confirmed that the Venezuelan government will not alter its decision to recognise the PLO.

ARAFAT PARTICIPATES IN LIBYAN REVOLUTION'S TENTH ANNIVERSARY

Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the PLO Executive Committee and General Commander of the forces of the Palestinian Revolution, participated at the head of a Palestinian delegation in the ceremonies of the tenth anniversary of the Libyan Revolution, which were held in Tripoli on September 1. Other Arab Heads of State also joined in the ceremonies, while Chiefs of Staff of the Steadfastness and Confrontation Front held a series of meetings with the aim of consolidating the Front and strengthening its position against the Camp David alliance.

PLO PROTEST TO U.S. EMBASSY OVER DETENTION OF PALESTINIAN CITIZEN

The PLO Political Department has sent a memorandum of complaint to the US Embassy in Beirut on August 28, demanding the release of the Palestinian citizen Ziad Mohamed Abu al-Ain, who was arrested by the American authorities at the request of the Israeli authorities, who accuse him of executing a number of commando operations.

The memorandum stated: "The Political Department of the PLO would like to present the PLO's request for the release of the Palestinian citizen Ziad Mohamed Ahmad Abu al-Ain, who is a resident of the West Bank, and who carries a Jordanian passport.

"The American police, with the help of Israeli intelligence, arrested the Palestinian citizen Abu al-Ain, and brought him to trial. This act constitutes a violation of the simplest of human rights, as well as of international laws. The Palestinian citizen Abu al-Ain has not violated any American law; thus there is nothing to justify his arrest and trial. Moreover he is not an Israeli citizen, but a Palestinian one, living in the West Bank and has Jordanian citizenship.

"Thus he is not covered by the American-Israeli criminal extradition agreement. The Political Department of the PLO brings to the attention of the U.S. Government the fact that this act constitutes a dangerous precedent against Palestinian citizens who live under Israeli occupation. Based on the above, the PLO demands the release of Ziad Mohd Ahmad Abu-al Ain."

PALESTINIAN ART EXHIBIT FOR TAL AL ZAATAR

As part of a week of commemorative activities for the struggle of Tal al Zaatar, seventeen artists from the General Union of Palestinian Artists exhibited their work at Beirut University College. The exhibit, which opened August 13, showed the expressive and technical richness of current Palestinian art. The theme of Tal al Zaatar dominated the exhibit, expressed in a multiplicity of forms by individual artists, from Naji El Ali's poignant pen sketches, which originally appeared as cartoons in the Lebanese newspaper "As-Safir" to Ismail Shammout's vivid oil paintings, part of a series on Tal al Zaatar, to Nasser Soumi's sensitive engravings, entitled "Witness in Time of Tal al Zaatar."

Two largescale drawings by Burhan Karkutli "Zionist Attack" and "Attack on Quarantina" expressed the terror of Zionist and fascist aggression in stark and strong lines. A recent painting by Mohammed El Sahr effectively contrasted his medium of delicate pastel with his subject: the steadfastness of the people of South Lebanon, as epitomized by a woman holding a child and confronting bestial, surrealistic aggressors. Resistance to oppression was also a theme for many artists - from the calligraphy of Mustafa El Hallaj to the glowing portrait of Bishop Helarion Capucci, by Abdul Rahman al Muzain. Other artists in the exhibit were Entidel El Sharif, Adnan El Sharif, Mohammed El Muzain, Mona Saudi, Michel Najar, Taman al Akhal, Kamil Howa, Toufiq Abdul Ali, Joseph Armen and Jumainia Hussaini, all of whose works asserted the vitality of Palestinian art and culture.