The resolution was moved by Tunisia, and if adopted, would have affirmed the rights of the Palestinians "to establish an independent state in Palestine". It would have also called on Israel to withdraw from all territories occupied in the Six Day War. The U.S. cast a negative vote and the resolution was not adopted. Text of the draft resolution and the statement of the U.S. delegate, explaining his country's vote, follows:
TUNISIA: DRAFT RESOLUTION
The Security Council,
Having considered the report of the Committee on the Exercise of the inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (A/34/35),
Taking note of General Assembly resolution 34/65,
Having heard the representatives of the parties concerned, including the Palestine Liberation Organization,
Convinced that the question of Palestine is the core of the conflict in the Middle East,
Reaffirming the urgent necessity of the establishment of a just and lasting peace through a comprehensive settlement based on full respect for the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, as well as for its resolutions concerning the problem of the Middle East and the question of Palestine,
Expressing its concern over the continuing deterioration of the situation in the Middle East, and deeply deploring Israel's persistence in its occupation of the Palestinian and other Arab territories, including Jerusalem, and its refusal to implement the relevant United Nations resolutions,
Reaffirming the principle of the inadmissibility of acquisition of territories by the threat or use of force,
1. Affirms:
(a) That the Palestinian people, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, should be enabled to exercise its inalienable national right of self-determination, including the right to establish an independent State in Palestine;
(b) The right of Palestinian refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours to do so, and the right of those choosing not to return to receive equitable compensation for their property;
2. Reaffirms that Israel should withdraw from all the Arab territories occupied since June 1967, including Jerusalem;
3. Decides that appropriate arrangements should be established to guarantee, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of all States in the area, including the sovereign independent State of Palestine, as envisaged in paragraph 1(a) above, and the right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries;
4. Decides that the provisions contained in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 should be taken fully into account in all international efforts and conferences organized within the framework of the United Nations for the establishment of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East;
5. Requests the Secretary-General to take all the necessary steps as soon as possible for the implementation of the provisions of this resolution and to report to the Security Council on the progress achieved;
6. Decides to convene within a period of six months to consider the report by the Secretary-General regarding the implementation of this resolution and in order to pursue its responsibilities regarding such implementation.
STATEMENT OF U.S. AMBASSADOR McHENRY
We just voted against Resolution S/13911. I wish now to state the position of my government in regard to this vote.
The complex and constantly interacting problems of the Middle East have been a source of instability and tragedy for many decades. Continuing efforts are being made to reach a comprehensive settlement. Time and again, dedicated efforts and imaginative proposals have been frustrated by seemingly uncontrollable events. In spite of this somber statesmanship on all sides, a peace treaty was signed between Egypt and Israel. This was an historic event which would have been considered unachievable prior to President Sadat's trip to Jerusalem and his warm reception there.
As important as the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty is, all concerned recognize that it deals with only one aspect of the many-faceted Arab-Israeli conflict. The Palestinian dimension is one of the crucial issues which must be resolved in the context of working toward a comprehensive settlement. Accordingly, the Camp David accords call for the solution of the Palestinian problem in all of its aspects.
As everyone knows, we are now engaged in serious and intensive negotiations to provide for the security of Israel and to fulfill the commitment in the Camp David framework to establish full autonomy for the people of the West Bank and Gaza for a transitional period pending further negotiations to resolve the final status of these territories. If successful, these negotiations will provide the Palestinians living in these areas with a real opportunity to manage their own lives for the first time in modern history.
The Palestinian issue is of central importance. The question is how best to make progress on this and other important outstanding issues.
We recognize that the approach we have taken has generated disagreement among some in the Middle East. This is not unexpected, nor are we surprised at the difficulty of the problems that are now under negotiation. We do not seek to persuade the pessimists or those who despair of a peaceful settlement.
We know conviction will come only with results - and that will require time. The point is that this is the only politically viable avenue available. No one has been able to come up with a workable alternative. Although all of us agree on the necessity for a solution of the Palestinian problem in all of its aspects there is wide disagreement on the best means of achieving this goal. It is essential that we do so.
There are over three million Palestinians in the Near East, including many of the best educated and most able people of that region. Their voices must be heard, and their desire to manage their daily fives and their political future must be recognized.
Some live in the Arab world outside the West Bank and Gaza and have made distinguished contributions. Others remain, tragically, refugees in camps, dependent in some part on services provided by the international community through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency; over a million, in the West Bank of the Jordan River and the Gaza strip, live under Israeli military rule. Wherever they are, with few exceptions, they think of themselves as Palestinians. This reality must be taken into account if an end to the conflict is to be found.
At the same time, the people of Israel have sought for more than 30 years to live at peace with their neighbors, within secure and recognized borders. Until President Sadat's visit to Jerusalem, Camp David, and the signing of the Egypt-Israel peace treaty, Israel was denied any practical expression of that desire. With the autonomy talks, Israel has a chance to move one step closer to the comprehensive peace it has long sought. This reality, too, must be taken into account.
On an issue of such importance for the world arid for the Palestinian and Israeli people themselves, we should not be distracted by approaches that offer no prospect for making practical progress. We should not adopt an approach that does not endorse U.N. Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, the agreed basis for all peace efforts in the Middle East - an approach which, indeed, seeks to change resolution 242. We should not allow the United Nations to be used in this way.
The clash of opposites and the sharpening of contradictions has no place here, in this body dedicated to the maintenance of peace and the resolution of disputes through peaceful means.
Mr. President, my government is engaged in a negotiation within the framework agreed in September 1978 at Camp David with the participation of the President of the United States. By accepting the Camp David frameworks, Israel and Egypt have committed themselves to work toward a comprehensive peace in the Middle East which - the two parties affirm in these accords - must resolve the Palestinian problem in all its aspects and recognize the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
This must be done in such a manner as to permit the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza to participate in the determination of their own future while preserving the security of all the parties. We are now entering a crucial stage of the negotiation which - if successful - will constitute an important step toward realization of those objectives.
I know that in many quarters there is skepticism that negotiations in this framework can succeed. The road ahead will be difficult. But together with Israel and Egypt, we ask only that we be judged on the results we obtain.
At the same time, if we ask that others judge us by the results of our efforts, we will apply the same standard to this resolution. Judged by that standard, it cannot bring the achievement of peace one day closer to practical reality. A solution cannot be achieved by flat. It must be the result of negotiation.
It is to the end - the attainment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East - that my government has committed itself. We solemnly reaffirm that commitment here today.
The United States will oppose the resolution before us.