CM/Res.790 (XXXV)
*RESOLUTION ON THE INDIAN OCEAN AS A ZONE OF PEACE
The Council of Ministers of the Organization of Africa Unity meeting in its Thirty- fifth Ordinary Session in Freetown, Sierra Leone, from 18 to 28 June, 1980,
Recalling the United Nations General Assembly resolution 2832 (XXVI) of 16th December 1971, entitled “Declaration making the Indian Ocean a “Zone of Peace”,
Recalling further the relevant UN Resolutions on the question,
Bearing in mind the final Declaration of the Meeting of coastal and inland countries of the Indian Ocean held in New York from 2 to 13 July 1979,
Noting that the UN General Assembly has decided in its resolution 34/80-B to convene a meeting on the Indian Ocean in 1981,
Recalling further the decisions and declarations on the Indian Ocean adopted by the various bodies of the Non-Aligned Movement, in particular, the Declaration adopted by the Sixth Conference of Heads of State and Government held in Havanna from 3 to 9 September 1979,
Seriously concerned about the constant deterioration of the situation in the Indian Ocean following the Big Powers recent intensification of military activities in the zone, contrary to the principles and objectives of the Declaration making the Indian Ocean a Zone of Peace,
*Resolution on the Indian Ocean as a “Zone of Peace”.
Recalling resolution 1652 (XVI) and subsequent resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly on the denuclearization of Africa,
Considering that the increasing nuclear capacity of South Africa with the help of its Western Allies constitutes a threat to peace and security in the region,
Conscious of the fact that there can be no peace, security and stability in the countries of the zone, and therefore, for the whole of Africa unless the Indian Ocean is effectively de-nuclearised and demilitarised:
URGENLTY CALLS UPON the Big Powers currently engaged in military activities in this region to respect scrupulously, the status of the Indian Ocean as a zone of peace and to take, without delay, concrete measures for the realisation of the objectives contained in the UN General Assembly Resolution 2832 (XXXV);
CONDEMNS the escalation and expansion of the military presence of the major powers in the Indian Ocean and the hostile military preparations which is threatening peace, security and stability in the region thus thwarting the struggle being waged by the liberation movements for the eradication of colonialism, racism, apartheid and foreign domination and seriously undermine the inalienable right of states of the region to exercise free control over their wealth and natural resources;
DEMANDS the removal of the bases and other military installations belonging to the Big Powers in the Indian Ocean and calls upon them to refrain from establishing new ones;
URGES the Big Powers to refrain from conducting military maneuvers and deploying military forces of all sorts for the purposes of threatening or using force against sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of any independent state of the region;
CALLS UPON Member States in the region to take the necessary steps so as to ensure that war ships and military planes as well as other military forces
do not use the Indian Ocean to threaten or use force against the sovereignty, the territorial integrity and the independence of any country in the region and in this connection, to refrain from giving assistance to the Big Powers in their military maneuvers which violate the Declaration making the Indian Ocean a Zone of Peace;
FURTHER CALLS on the Big Powers to refrain from establishing bases and nuclear installations in the Indian Ocean Zone and from conducting nuclear- tests;
CONDEMNS the Western Powers which assisted South Africa to build up its nuclear capacity and further calls urgently, upon all Member States to take measures individually or collectively to thwart any attempt by South Africa to devise nuclear arms;
APPEALS to Member States to participate at the highest level in the next Session of the Conference on the Indian Ocean Zone of peace scheduled for 1981;
REQUESTS the Secretary-General to follow up the question and submit a report to the next Session of the Council of Ministers.
Reservation expressed by Djibouti