![]() | THE ISRAEL REPORTMarch/April 2000 | ![]() |
At the closing session of the Asian Meeting on the Question of Palestine, held in
Hanoi from 1 to 3 March, participants adopted the Hanoi Declaration which proclaimed their
broad and determined commitment to support the right of the Palestinian people to
self-determination and the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian
State. The Hanoi Declaration was read out by Walter Balzan, Rapporteur of the
Committee.
Nguyen Tam Chien, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Viet
Nam, said the Meeting represented another vivid demonstration of the solidarity and
strong support by the international community, and Asia in particular, for the just cause
of the Palestinian people. Having endured great hardships and sacrifices for peace and
national independence, the Vietnamese people had always understood and shared in the
difficulties and hardships facing the Palestinian people. He expressed the hope that the
Palestinian people would soon regain its legitimate national rights, and he welcomed and
supported international and regional efforts to promote a comprehensive, just and lasting
peace in the Middle East and a satisfactory solution to the Palestinian question.
Suleiman Alnajjab, Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO) and Special Envoy of PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, expressed his
organization's gratitude to the Vietnamese Government and its people for their on-going
support and for hosting this important Meeting. The Committee on the Exercise of the
Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People had worked tirelessly for the cause of the
Palestinian people. Mr. Alnajjab thanked the experts and delegates at the Meeting and the
people of Asia for their deep understanding and solidarity they had shown in support of
the Palestinian struggle.
On behalf of the Committee, its Chairman Ibra Deguène Ka expressed his deep
gratitude to the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam for hosting the Asian
Meeting on the Question of Palestine in Hanoi. Viet Nam had demonstrated its solid
commitment to and support for the struggle of the Palestinian people, and for the
objectives of the United Nations. The warm hospitality and friendliness of the Vietnamese
people had made the visit to Hanoi a truly memorable experience.
The full text of the Hanoi Declaration is as follows:
Hanoi Declaration
We, the participants of the United Nations Asian Meeting on the Question of Palestine,
held under the theme "Achieving the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people
– a key to peace in the Middle East," in Hanoi, City of Peace, under the
auspices of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian
People, declare:
our broad and determined commitment to support the right of the Palestinian people to
self-determination and the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian
State;
that Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, as well as other
Arab territories, must be brought to an end without delay and that mutual recognition and
peaceful coexistence must be given the opportunity to flourish;
that Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), which embody the principle of
land for peace and form the legal basis for the Middle East peace process, must be adhered
to;
that the recent breakdown in the permanent status talks puts the Israeli-Palestinian peace
process at a critical stage. The lack of progress in the full and strict implementation of
the Wye River and Sharm el-Sheikh agreements as well as the continuation of settlement
activities are a cause of great concern and threaten to jeopardize the peace negotiations;
that in view of the continued settlement activities, the United Nations and the High
Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention should play an effective role to
reconvene the Conference of the High Contracting Parties;
that Governments, intergovernmental organizations, parliamentarians and civil society
organizations, particularly Asian non-governmental organizations, exert all efforts to
support the peace process and its successful conclusion;
that the deadline of September 2000 to achieve a permanent status agreement in accordance
with the Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum and the international consensus which was developed at
the end of the five-year transition last May, should be observed;
that the United Nations should grant full membership to Palestine to enable it to
participate fully in the United Nations Millennium Summit to be held on 6 September 2000.
The Summit marks an opportunity for a moral recommitment to the principles of the United
Nations Charter and new political momentum for international cooperation;
that Asian States, having had a unique experience in their struggle for decolonization and
national sovereignty, should continue their moral, political and material support for the
exercise of the Palestinian people of its inalienable rights. We welcome the long-standing
commitment of Asian States to the peace process, particularly the efforts to achieve a
permanent peace settlement between Palestinians and Israelis;
our appreciation to H. E. Mr. Tran Duc Luong, President of the Socialist Republic of Viet
Nam; H. E. Mr. Phan Van Khai, Prime Minister of Viet Nam; H. E. Mr. Nguyen Dy Nien,
Foreign Minister of Viet Nam; H. E. Mr. Chu Tuan Nha, Minister for Science, Technology and
Environment of Viet Nam; and to the Government of Viet Nam for hosting the Meeting and for
the assistance and support extended to the United Nations Secretariat in the preparation.
We salute the struggle for independence and the right to self-determination of the people
of Viet Nam. We thank the people of Hanoi for their warmth and hospitality and for their
assistance with the Meeting.
Hanoi, 3 March 2000