The General Assembly today overwhelmingly approved two resolutions calling for the Palestine Liberation Organization’s participation in all Mideast peace-making forums and the establishment of a special committee to implement the “inalienable rights” of the Palestinian people. Both resolutions were denounced by Israeli Ambassador Chaim Herzog and Israeli Premier Yitzhak Rabin. (See separate stories.)
Meanwhile, a motion by Belgium to delay a vote in the General Assembly on the anti-Zionist resolution today was defeated by a vote of 67-55 with 15 abstentions, Belgium was seconded by Liberia and Uruguay in its motion. A second motion by Belgium to vote first on the anti-Zionist measure so that it could be separated from the other resolutions dealing with apartheid and colonialism was rejected by a vote of 74-36 with 26 abstentions.
The first pro-PLO resolution, sponsored by Egypt and 40 other states, would have the United Nations invite the PLO to take part “on an equal footing” with other parties in any Middle East peace conference. It specifically instructed Secretary General Kurt Waldheim to inform the United States and the Soviet Union, co-chairmen of the Geneva conference, to take all necessary steps to invite the PLO to participate in its work “as well as in all other efforts for peace.”
The resolution was adopted by a 101-8 vote with 25 abstentions. Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Nicaragua, Honduras, West Germany and Costa Rica voted against the measure. The resolution was originally proposed by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in his address to the General Assembly earlier this month.
PALESTINIAN RIGHTS SUPPORTED
The second resolution, sponsored by 50 East European and Third World countries, was adopted by a 93-18 vote with 27 abstentions, Among those voting against this resolution were the U.S., Israel, the United Kingdom, West Germany and Canada, France and Austria abstained on this resolution as well as on the one sponsored by Egypt.
The resolution calls for the establishment of a 20-nation committee of the General Assembly to draft plans to implement the Assembly’s 1974 Palestinian resolutions. The committee was requested to report to the Security Council by June, 1976 and to provide another report to the General Assembly next year.
The latter resolution reaffirmed the 1974 resolution’s support of the right of self-determination and national independence for the Palestinians. The 1974 measure also affirmed the right of the Palestinians to “return to the homes and property from which they were uprooted.” Neither the resolutions of 1974 nor the two adopted here today mentioned Israel’s right to exist.
The General Assembly is scheduled to vote this afternoon or tonight on the controversial draft adopted by its Third Committee on Oct. 17 which describes Zionism as a form of racism. Despite strong opposition by the Western powers, that resolution is also expected to be adopted. Last month’s vote in the Third Committee was 70-28 with 27 abstentions.
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