115th Plenary Meeting of General Assembly: 50th Session - Part 1

Security Council failure to condemn Israel encouraged aggression, General Assembly told at 115th meeting.

• Categories: Meetings & Events / General Assembly
• Video Length: 01:24:00
• Production Date: 24 April 1996
• Asset Language: Original; English; French; Spanish
• Personal Subject: AHMED SNOUSSI; ALAIN DEJAMMET; DIOGO FREITAS DO AMARAL; EMILIO J. CÁRDENAS; HASSAN ALI HUSSAIN AL-NI'MAH; MOHAMMAD JAVAD ZARIF-KHONSARI; NIZAR HAMDOON; SOO GIL PARK
• Corporate Name: SECURITY COUNCIL; UNITED NATIONS INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON - UNIFIL
• Subject Topical: AGGRESSION; CEASEFIRES; HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE; INTERNATIONAL LAW; MIDDLE EAST SITUATION; NEGOTIATION; PEACEKEEPERS
• Geographic Subject: LEBANON; MIDDLE EAST
• MAMS Id: 2369073
• Parent Id: 845770

Description

The continued failure of the Security Council to condemn Israeli aggression had encouraged Israel in its violent acts, speakers told the General Assembly this afternoon, as, in response to a request by the Non- Aligned Movement, it continued debating recent Israeli actions in Lebanon.

The representative of Qatar, for example, said that the hegemony of a few over the Security Council's decision-making machinery was undermining the Council's credibility, along with belief in the values and ideals enshrined in the United Nations Charter.

Many other speakers deplored the deaths of civilians, casualties among the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) personnel, the destruction of Lebanese homes and infrastructure and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese citizens. They called for an immediate cease-fire, emergency humanitarian assistance and the implementation of Security Council resolution 425 (1978).

The security of United Nations peace-keepers should be protected and their right to move freely about the country respected, said speakers. Peace negotiations between Israel and Lebanon and Israel and Syria should resume. The representative of France said it was ready to contribute to the establishment and provision of security guarantees that might be necessitated as part of those negotiations.

Some speakers referred to the rights of Israel and other States to defend themselves, but said Israel had gone too far. The representative of the Republic of Korea said those rights were circumscribed by the principle of proportionality established in international law. The representative of Armenia said that while recognizing the right of every nation to self-defence, measures taken for that purpose must be commensurate with the existing threats and serve the cause of a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Iraq, Iran, Morocco, Argentina, South Africa, Cyprus, Brunei Darussalam, Panama, San Marino, Pakistan, Philippines, Azerbaijan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Malta, Sudan, India, Jamaica, as well as the observer of the League of Arab States.

The Assembly will meet again at 10 a.m. Thursday, to continue its discussion on the Israeli action in Lebanon.

For further details please see source:
MEETINGS COVERAGE

For further details please see official record:
A/50/PV.115