- Title: SYRIA: CONFERENCE AND RALLY IN SUPPORT OF PALESTINIAN IN DAMASCUS.
- Date: 2nd April 1978
- Summary: 1. SV INT PLO representative addressing conference 0.06 2. GV Delegates listening (2 shots) 0.19 3. CU Placard "Palestinian Peasants will be victorious as was the Vietnamese Peasants". Delegates listen as speech continues (2 shots) 0.32 4. TV Large crowd of demonstrators carrying banners and chanting slogans as they walk through streets (5 shots
- Embargoed: 17th April 1978 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: DAMASCUS, SYRIA
- Country: Syria
- Reuters ID: LVACC1YBPZVU6SRQ6PXTEQ5RNH8D
- Story Text: Delegates representing more than 50 Arab countries and organisations attended a conference on Palestinian problems in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Thursday (30 March).
SYNOPSIS: The opening of the conference, which had been called under the auspices of the Syrian President, Hafez Al-Assad, coincided with the appointment of a new government in Syria. But it was stressed that the change in leadership would represent no change in the country's Arab or international policy.
The meeting, called the "World Conference for Solidarity with Palestinian Peasants and People", gave enthusiastic support for delegates of the Palestine Liberation Organisation. Posters likened their struggle with that of the North Vietnamese.
At the same time there was a mass rally in the city, as a show of popular support for the Palestinian cause. Many of the banners carried by the crowd stressed the unity of Syria with the Palestinian struggle against Israel. These demonstrations came only days after a meeting of so called Arab hardline states -- Syria, Algeria, the Libyan Jamahiriyah, South Yemen and the P.L.O. -- failed to come up with any firm answer to Israel's invasion of Southern Lebanon. After more than 14 hours of talks, they issued a statement condemning the invasion, demanding the Israelis' withdraw immediately and unconditionally, and expressing full support for the Palestinians and the Lebanese Government.
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