BASIC
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE HOLY SEE AND
THE PALESTINE LIBERATION ORGANIZATION
Signed February 15, 2000
Preamble
The Holy See, the Sovereign Authority of the Catholic Church, and
the Palestine Liberation Organization (hereinafter: PLO), the Representative of
the Palestinian People working for the benefit and on behalf of the Palestinian
Authority:
Deeply aware of the special significance of the Holy Land, which
is inter alia a privileged space for inter-religious dialogue between the
followers of the three monotheistic religions;
Having reviewed the history and development of the relations
between the Holy See and the Palestinian People, including the working contacts
and the subsequent establishment - on October 26, 1994 - of official relations
between the Holy See and the PLO;
Recalling and confirming the establishment of the Bilateral
Permanent Working Commission to identify, study and address issues of common
interest between the two Parties;
Reaffirming the need to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in
the Middle East, so that all its nations live as good neighbours and work
together to achieve development and prosperity for the entire region and all
its inhabitants;
Calling for a peaceful solution of the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict, which would realize the inalienable national legitimate rights and
aspirations of the Palestinian People, to be reached through negotiation and
agreement, in order to ensure peace and security for all peoples of the region
on the basis of international law, relevant United Nations and its Security
Council resolutions, justice and equity;
Declaring that an equitable solution for the issue of Jerusalem,
based on international resolutions, is fundamental for a just and lasting peace
in the Middle East, and that unilateral decisions and actions altering the
specific character and status of Jerusalem are morally and legally
unacceptable;
Calling, therefore, for a special statute for Jerusalem,
internationally guaranteed, which should safeguard the following:
a. Freedom of religion and conscience for all.
b. The equality before the law of the three monotheistic
religions and their institutions and followers in the City.
c. The proper identity and sacred character of the City and its
universally significant, religious and cultural heritage.
d. The Holy Places, the freedom of access to them and of worship
in them.
e. The Regime of "Status Quo" in those Holy Places
where it applies;
Recognizing that Palestinians, irrespective of their religious
affiliation, are equal members of Palestinian society;
Concluding that the achievements of the aforementioned Bilateral
Permanent Working Commission now amount to appropriate matter for a first and
Basic-Agreement, which should provide a solid and lasting foundation for the
continued development of their present and future relations, and for the
furtherance of the Commission' s on-going task,
Agree on the following
Articles:
Article 1
Paragraph 1:
The PLO affirms its permanent commitment to uphold and observe
the human right to freedom of religion and conscience, as stated in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in other international instruments
relative to its application.
Paragraph 2:
The Holy See affirms the
commitment of the Catholic Church to support this right and states once more
the respect that the Catholic Church has for the followers of other religions.
Article 2
Paragraph 1:
The Parties are committed to appropriate cooperation in promoting
respect for human rights, individual and collective, in combating all forms of
discrimination and threats to human life and dignity, as well as to the
promotion of understanding and harmony between nations and communities.
Paragraph 2:
The Parties will continue
to encourage inter-religious dialogue for the promotion of better understanding
between people of different religions.
Article 3
The PLO will ensure and
protect in Palestinian Law the equality of human and civil rights of all
citizens, including specifically, inter alia, their freedom from discrimination,
individually or collectively, on the ground of religious affiliation, belief or
practice.
Article 4
The regime of the
"Status Quo" will be maintained and observed in those Christian Holy
Places where it applies.
Article 5
The PLO recognizes the
freedom of the Catholic Church to exercise her rights to carry out, through the
necessary means, her functions and traditions, such as those that are
spiritual, religious, moral, charitable, educational and cultural.
Article 6
The PLO recognizes the rights
of the Catholic Church in economic, legal and fiscal matters: these rights
being exercised in harmony with the rights of the Palestinian authorities in
these fields.
Article 7
Full effect will be given
in Palestinian Law to the legal personality of the Catholic Church and of the
canonical legal persons.
Article 8
The provisions of this
Agreement are without prejudice to any agreement hitherto in force between
either Party and any other party.
Article 9
The Bilateral Permanent
Working Commission, in accordance with such instructions as may be given by the
respective Authorities of the two Parties, may propose further ways to address
items of this Agreement.
Article 10
Should any controversy
arise regarding the interpretation or the application of provisions of the
present Agreement, the Parties will resolve it by way of mutual consultation.
Article 11
Done in two original
copies in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authentic.
In case of divergency, the English text shall prevail.
Article 12
This Agreement shall enter into force from the moment of its
signature by the two Parties.
Signed in the Vatican, fifteenth of February, 2000