The Other Denounced Occupier of Arab Land- Iran and the UAE Islands
Despite all the rhetoric of the Iranian regime, it remains, along with Israel, an occupier of Arab lands.
The Iranians invited themselves to the Arab Gulf Summit and now want to be invited to the Arab Summit in Damascus. It we are inviting Iran we might as well invite Israel since both occupy Arab lands- and, in Israel's favor, at least we have a peace process with the Israelis and Iran refuses even a process to discuss its occupation of Arab land. Arab countries should translate their rhetoric on the occupation of the UAE islands into action. Maybe the regime in Tehran would have enough sense to end its occupation and colonization of UAE territory.
Below is a letter from the Arab League that summarizes the issue well.
Letter dated 13 March 2006 from the
Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council
Pursuant to Article 54 of the Charter of the United Nations, I have the honour to transmit to you herewith a decision adopted on 4 March 2006 by the Council of the League of Arab States at its meeting, held at the level of Ministers for Foreign Affairs, during its 125th regular session in Cairo, the seat of its secretariat. The decision is entitled “Occupation by Iran of the three Arab islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abou Musa in the Arabian Gulf belonging to the United Arab Emirates” (decision No. 6616-125-3/4/2006).
I should be grateful if you would arrange for the text of the present letter and its annex to be circulated as a document of the Security Council.
(Signed) Yahya MahmassaniAmbassador
decision adopted by the Council of the League of Arab States
Occupation by Iran of the three Arab islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa in the Arabian Gulf, which belong to the United Arab Emirates
The Council of the League of Arab States, at the Ministerial level,
Having considered:
• The note of the General Secretariat,
• The report on the activities of the General Secretariat between sessions,
• The recommendation of the Political Affairs Committee,
Guided by the decisions of the previous summit, the last of which was decision 300 of the Algiers Summit, dated 23 March 2005, concerning the occupation by the Islamic Republic of Iran of three Arab islands in the Arabian Gulf, namely the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, which belong to the United Arab Emirates,
Reaffirming its earlier decisions on the same matter, the most recent of which was decision 6554 of 8 September 2005,
Decides
1. To reaffirm without qualification the absolute sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates over its three islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa and to support all peaceful measures and means adopted by the United Arab Emirates to regain its sovereignty over the occupied islands;
2. To denounce the continued consolidation by the Iranian Government of its occupation of the three islands and its violation of the sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates, which can only undermine security and stability in the region and pose a threat to international peace and security;
3. To condemn the building by the Islamic Republic of Iran of housing facilities to settle Iranians on the three occupied Arab islands;
4. To condemn the Iranian military manoeuvres being conducted also on the three occupied islands of the United Arab Emirates, namely the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, and those islands’ territorial waters, airspace, continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, which constitute an inseparable part of the United Arab Emirates; and to request that Iran desist from such violations and acts of provocation, which constitute interference in the internal affairs of an independent, sovereign State; do not promote confidence-building; threaten security and stability in the region; and endanger the security and safety of regional and international navigation in the Arabian Gulf;
5. To appeal once again to the Iranian Government to end its occupation of the three islands of the United Arab Emirates, refrain from trying to impose a fait accompli by force, desist from establishing any installations for the purpose of modifying the islands’ demographic structure, revoke all measures and remove all installations unilaterally put in place on the three Arab islands, inasmuch as such measures and claims are null and void, lack any legal effect and do not diminish the established right of the United Arab Emirates over its three islands and are acts that run counter to the provisions of international law and the Geneva Conventions of 1949; and to call upon it to adopt peaceful means for resolving the dispute existing with regard to those islands in accordance with the principles and norms of international law, including agreement to refer the matter to the International Court of Justice;
6. To express the hope that the Islamic Republic of Iran will reconsider its position of rejecting the effort to find a peaceful solution to the issue of the three occupied islands of the United Arab Emirates either through direct, earnest negotiations or through recourse to the International Court of Justice;
7. To call upon Iran to translate its stated desire for improved relations with the Arab countries and for dialogue and détente into concrete steps, both in word and in deed, in the form of a genuine response to the earnest appeals launched by the United Arab Emirates, the States members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Arab States, the international community, friendly nations and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, calling for a solution to the dispute over the three occupied islands by peaceful means in accordance with customary practice and the covenants and rules of international law, either through direct, earnest negotiations or through recourse to the International Court of Justice, so as to build trust and enhance security and stability in the Arabian Gulf region;
8. To have all Arab States undertake, in their contacts with Iran, to raise the issue of Iran’s occupation of the three islands in order to stress the need to end it, based on the fact that the three islands are occupied Arab territory;
9. To inform the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the Security Council of the importance of maintaining the issue on the list of matters of which the Security Council is seized until Iran ends its occupation of the three Arab islands and the United Arab Emirates regains its full sovereignty over them;
10. To request the Secretary-General to follow up this matter and report to the Council at its next session.
The Iranians invited themselves to the Arab Gulf Summit and now want to be invited to the Arab Summit in Damascus. It we are inviting Iran we might as well invite Israel since both occupy Arab lands- and, in Israel's favor, at least we have a peace process with the Israelis and Iran refuses even a process to discuss its occupation of Arab land. Arab countries should translate their rhetoric on the occupation of the UAE islands into action. Maybe the regime in Tehran would have enough sense to end its occupation and colonization of UAE territory.
Below is a letter from the Arab League that summarizes the issue well.
Letter dated 13 March 2006 from the
Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council
Pursuant to Article 54 of the Charter of the United Nations, I have the honour to transmit to you herewith a decision adopted on 4 March 2006 by the Council of the League of Arab States at its meeting, held at the level of Ministers for Foreign Affairs, during its 125th regular session in Cairo, the seat of its secretariat. The decision is entitled “Occupation by Iran of the three Arab islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abou Musa in the Arabian Gulf belonging to the United Arab Emirates” (decision No. 6616-125-3/4/2006).
I should be grateful if you would arrange for the text of the present letter and its annex to be circulated as a document of the Security Council.
(Signed) Yahya MahmassaniAmbassador
decision adopted by the Council of the League of Arab States
Occupation by Iran of the three Arab islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa in the Arabian Gulf, which belong to the United Arab Emirates
The Council of the League of Arab States, at the Ministerial level,
Having considered:
• The note of the General Secretariat,
• The report on the activities of the General Secretariat between sessions,
• The recommendation of the Political Affairs Committee,
Guided by the decisions of the previous summit, the last of which was decision 300 of the Algiers Summit, dated 23 March 2005, concerning the occupation by the Islamic Republic of Iran of three Arab islands in the Arabian Gulf, namely the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, which belong to the United Arab Emirates,
Reaffirming its earlier decisions on the same matter, the most recent of which was decision 6554 of 8 September 2005,
Decides
1. To reaffirm without qualification the absolute sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates over its three islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa and to support all peaceful measures and means adopted by the United Arab Emirates to regain its sovereignty over the occupied islands;
2. To denounce the continued consolidation by the Iranian Government of its occupation of the three islands and its violation of the sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates, which can only undermine security and stability in the region and pose a threat to international peace and security;
3. To condemn the building by the Islamic Republic of Iran of housing facilities to settle Iranians on the three occupied Arab islands;
4. To condemn the Iranian military manoeuvres being conducted also on the three occupied islands of the United Arab Emirates, namely the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, and those islands’ territorial waters, airspace, continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, which constitute an inseparable part of the United Arab Emirates; and to request that Iran desist from such violations and acts of provocation, which constitute interference in the internal affairs of an independent, sovereign State; do not promote confidence-building; threaten security and stability in the region; and endanger the security and safety of regional and international navigation in the Arabian Gulf;
5. To appeal once again to the Iranian Government to end its occupation of the three islands of the United Arab Emirates, refrain from trying to impose a fait accompli by force, desist from establishing any installations for the purpose of modifying the islands’ demographic structure, revoke all measures and remove all installations unilaterally put in place on the three Arab islands, inasmuch as such measures and claims are null and void, lack any legal effect and do not diminish the established right of the United Arab Emirates over its three islands and are acts that run counter to the provisions of international law and the Geneva Conventions of 1949; and to call upon it to adopt peaceful means for resolving the dispute existing with regard to those islands in accordance with the principles and norms of international law, including agreement to refer the matter to the International Court of Justice;
6. To express the hope that the Islamic Republic of Iran will reconsider its position of rejecting the effort to find a peaceful solution to the issue of the three occupied islands of the United Arab Emirates either through direct, earnest negotiations or through recourse to the International Court of Justice;
7. To call upon Iran to translate its stated desire for improved relations with the Arab countries and for dialogue and détente into concrete steps, both in word and in deed, in the form of a genuine response to the earnest appeals launched by the United Arab Emirates, the States members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Arab States, the international community, friendly nations and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, calling for a solution to the dispute over the three occupied islands by peaceful means in accordance with customary practice and the covenants and rules of international law, either through direct, earnest negotiations or through recourse to the International Court of Justice, so as to build trust and enhance security and stability in the Arabian Gulf region;
8. To have all Arab States undertake, in their contacts with Iran, to raise the issue of Iran’s occupation of the three islands in order to stress the need to end it, based on the fact that the three islands are occupied Arab territory;
9. To inform the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the Security Council of the importance of maintaining the issue on the list of matters of which the Security Council is seized until Iran ends its occupation of the three Arab islands and the United Arab Emirates regains its full sovereignty over them;
10. To request the Secretary-General to follow up this matter and report to the Council at its next session.
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