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By NORMAN FREED

Lasting peace in the Middle
East must guarantee security

‘and full rights to all nations and
states in the region.

We are only days away from
the general peace conference
due to open on Dec. 18.

” ‘There are three main issues to
be resolved at the peace con-

_ ference.

1. The: Israeli withdrawal
from occupied Arab territories
taken by force of arms in the

of 1967.
e. The ending of the state of
armistice and belligerence and
the full recognition of the right
to existance of all states, in-
‘cluding the state of Israel.

3. The recognition of the na-
tional rights of the Palestinian
Arab people.

These are in essence the ques-
tions embraced by the UN
security council resolution 242,
adopted unanimously in 1967
and re-affirmed in October of
this year. This resolution is al-
most universaly supported by
diverse organizations and gov-
ernments the world over, includ-
ing the Canadian government,
as indicated in the recent joint
communique between Canada
and the USSR. The European
Economic Community, Japan,
and other capitalist govern-
ments have come out in support
of Resolution 242, as well as
the overwhelming majority of
Asian and African countries.
The socialist countries are con-
sistently supporting and fight-
ing for the implementation of
the resolution through a politi-
cal settlement of the Middle
East crisis. The government of
Israel is almost isolated in its
stubborn refusal to carry out
Resolution 242.

Who Was “Shocked”?

It is more. and more recog-
nized that the Arab people are
seeking to regain their lands

and homes taken from them by

force of arms in 1967. And that
their cause is just by all stand-
‘ards of society, economic, social,
political and moral.

Was our fight during World

War II to regain lands and

homes occupied by the Germans
wrong and immoral?

Of course it wasn’t. It is dif-
ficult to understand certain peo-
ple who do not hesitate to con-

’ demn the Germans or U.S. capi-

talism for taking possession by
force of arms and occupying
other peoples’ lands, but find it
difficult to condemn Israeli capi-
talism and its government for
similar colonial aggressive acts
against the Arab people.

It becomes even more difficult

Golden Samarkand
SAMARKAND (APN) — The
bibi-Khanym Mosque, a pearl of

medieval architecture in Samar-

kand, a city in Soviet Uzbekis-
tan, will be preserved for com-
ing generations. The restora-
‘tion began after scientists re-
vealed a secret of making
bright, durable paints used in
ancient times for facing build-
ings.

Other structures of historical
value preserved in Samarkand
include the famous madrasah
which used to be the centre of
science and culture in ancient
Central Asia. Samarkand is a
place of tourist “pilgrimage” in
that part of the USSR. This year
it has already been visited by
some 100,000 tourists from
various parts of the country and

from abroad.

to understand when some of
these people dealing with the
October events, refer to. them
as actions that “shocked the
world.” Which world, and who
was shocked? For six years,
since 1967 the Israeli govern-
ment refused to implement the
UN Securtiy Council Resolution
242. The Israeli government car-
ried through one provocation
after another against Syria and
Lebanon. The Israeli govern-
ment rejected all peace initia-
tives from Egypt and other
Arab States.
Closed Door

The Arab states were pre-
pared, to recognize the right
to sovereign existance of the
State of Israel to achieve a
peace agreement based on jus-
tice for all. This was again and
again rejected. Not only this, a
plan known as the “Galili Doc-
ument” was adopted by Israel
to settle Israeli families on oc-
cupied Arab lands, thus seeking
to close the door to a political
peace settlement.

The actions of the Israeli gov-
ernment are not only harmful
to the Arab people, they are
suicidal to the real national in-
terest of Israel and its people.
Four wars in 25 years should
teach us some lessons. It teach-
es us the lesson that there is no
security for Israel, for the Arab
people and for the world, be-
cause the Middle East is a vital
strategic area, as long as the
present policy of the Israeli gov-
ernment prevails. There is no
security of borders, if it in-
volves occupation of Arab lands.

Who Is One-Sided?

Some of the very people who
raise. the «above -question also
accuse those who direct the
main. fire against the suicidal
anti-national policy and aggres-
sion of the Israeli government
as being “one sided.” This argu-
ment maintains that to be fair
he must be balanced in seeing
all sides of the question and
hence the critique has to be
balanced against the Israeli gov-
ernment and against the Arab
governments.

We agree that one has to see
all sides of the question. We
also agree that one has to be
objective and our objectivity is
ever present. We take our point
of departure from working _peo-
ple’s: interests within the con-
tending forces in the Middle
East and within the framework
of the balance of forces on a
world scale.

We are deeply concerned
about the future of the State of
Israel. And we are convinced
that U.S. imperialism, aided by
Israeli political Zionism is sac-
rificing the real interests of the
working people and their demo-
cratic allies in Israel to advance
their imperialist, class predato-
ry aim.

Transforming Countries

We are concerned about the

national and social liberation

struggles in the Arab world. We ©

are aware that a sharp class
conflict takes place to trans-
form their countries from back-
wardness, inherited from the
colonial yoke, to modernism.
We are aware that there are re-
actionary, pro-imperialist anti-
Soviet forces in some ~ Arab
countries. We know that the
struggle for Arab unity is a pro-
cess, and we note that despite
difficulties Arab unity and the
national and social liberation
movement is advancing.

We cannot accept the propo-
sition that a balanced position

means that we treat the victor
and the vanquished with an even
hand. We stand on the side of
those who are the victims of
aggression. We and Marxist-
Leninists all over the world con-
demn individual terror as a
form of class struggle. But we
understand the frustrations of
people who are oppressed, pro-
voked and colonized in the
name of security.
Moral or Immoral?

There are those who condemn
the use by the Arab countries
of oil as an economic-political
and diplomatic weapon to regain
their lands and homes and the
rights of the Palestinian Arab
people. Some call it “blackmail”
others say to heed their de-
mands is immoral. It seems that
it is moral to take by force of
arms the Arab lands and to
colonize the Arabs, but it is im-
moral for them to strive to re-
gain their own homes and lands.
Is this a balanced position?

Events make Middle East peace possible

What about the oil, the
“black gold” that the multi-
national corporations, most of
them U.S., have pumped out
from the Middle East for a pit-
tance. Now the Arab people ask
for a decent price and use the
oil as a weapon to win their
rights. Is this not better than
war? If Arab states were using
their oil for conquest there
would be a case. They use it as
a lever to bring about a lasting
peace in the Middle East. A
very moral action and aim in-
deed.

Peace May Come This Time

There is a favorable conjunc-
ture of events which may bring
a lasting peace this time. It will
be long and difficult. The bal-
ance of world forces has
changed in favor of those who
are driving for peace and social
advance. The Soviet Union plays
a major role in this develop-
ment.

The U:S. has been forced to

Israeli withdrawal precondition

retreat in the Middle East as it
has been forced to accept the
principle of peaceful co-exist-
ence. The Israeli government is
almost isolated and its policy of
permanent war and _ invincibil-
ity has been exploded. The unity
of the Arab countries is grow-
ing, including the forces repre-
senting the Palestinian Arab
people and the agreement to
achieve peace for all states, in-
cluding the state of Israel.

The. Soviet Union which has
been and remains the most
stable force for a political set-
tlement of the Middle East will
be part of the Geneva peace
conference together with the
USA, the Arab states and the
state of Israel, under the chair-
manship of the United Nations.
With people’s public support the
world over the chances are
favorable to remove the Middle
East as a danger point in the
fight for detente and world
peace.

For an equitable Mideast peace

Arab kings and Heads of
States, meeting in their three-
day Sixth Summit Conference
at the Palace of Nations in Al-
giers Nov. 26-28, declared that
peace is attainable in the Mid-
dle East only by both the -with-
drawal of Israel from all the
occupied Arab territories, Jerus-
alem first, and the restoration
of the inalienable national rights
of the Palestinian people. :

They also declared that if jus
peace is not achieved, the Arab
States will continue their just
struggle for liberation at any
cost and in all fields,-by all pos-
sible means, including the use
of oil, in the light of the reso-
lutions adopted by the Arab
Oil Ministers. They clarified
that there is a strong link be-
tween the flow of Arab oil to
any country and the position
taken by that country in sup-
port of the just Arab cause.

Parts of the declaration and
analysis published after the con-
ference follow:

The Arab world is passing
through a decisive stage in its
history. The struggle against
Zionist invasion is a long-haul,
historic responsibility that will
require still further efforts and
sacrifices.

While the October 1973 war
showed the Arab nations’ deter-
mination to liberate their oc-
cupied territories at any cost,
the cease-fire in the field in no
way means that the struggle
has ended or that one can im-
pose upon the Arab nations a

A meeting during the Arab summit at Algiers be

solution not meeting their just
goals.

So long as the cause of the
war of aggression and expan-
sion that put the world on the
brink of a large-scale conflict
are not eliminated, there will be
in the Middle East neither a
lasting peace nor true security.
Indeed, one cannot reconcile on
the one hand aggression, oc-
cupation, expansion and hege-
mony, and on the other hand,
national independence, develop-
ment, progress and peace in
justice. —

The war of October 1973,
just as the ones that took place
earlier, is an unavoidable con-
sequence of the policy of ag-
gression and fait accompli pur-
sued by Israel in defiance of
principles and decisions by the
international organizations and
of the law of nations. Since the
spoilation of the Palestinian
people and their expulsion from
their fatherland, Israel has not
ceased expanding, taking ad-
vantage of the active complicity
and economic, technological and
military support of the imperial-
ist countries and, above all, the
United States of America ...

The expansionist character of
the Israeli policy has become
clear to all. Its alleged friend-
ship with the African peoples
has been unmasked and, alone
in Africa, the colonialist and
racist regimes of South Africa,
Rhodesia and Portugal give it
their support...

The cease-fire, put into force

he

: & ee .

iS, gies:

tween (L to R) Sadat, Assad, Boumedienne and Feisal.
PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1973—PAGE “

more than a month ago, still
keeps running into Israeli man-
oeuvres and obstruction. Also,
Israel’s official stands and ac-
tions on the international level
indicate that she has in no way
abandoned her old policy, nor
has she given up her expansion-
ist, and imperialist policies.

The cease-fire is not peace.
Peace presupposes, in order to

be achieved, a certain -number’

of conditions. Among these are
two that aré paramount and un-
changeable: ;

1 — Withdrawal of Irrael
from all the occupied Arab
territories, and first of all
Jerusalem.

2 — Re-establishment — of
the inalienable national rights
for the Palestinian people.
So long as these two condi-

tions have not been met, it will
be illusory to expect in the Mid-
dle East anything but a continu-
ation of unstable and explosive
situations and new confronta-
tions.

Fully aware of their historic
responsibilities, the Arab kings
and Heads of States plan to con-
tribute to the establishment of
a just peace on the basis of the
aforementioned two principles.

Peace can be achieved only in
full-light, far from all manoeu-
vres and scheming, and on the
basis of principles spelled out in
this declaration. Thus, the Arab
countries’ kings and Heads of
States believe that any serious
and constructive consultations
must take place on this basis.

“

shel mana eects nneepbe tind