Statement by Presidents Assad, Sadat, and Gaddafi on the Adoption of the Draft Constitution of the Arab Republics Union
In Damascus, the fortress of Arabism and the bastion of unity, in Damascus, which has been associated with the call for Arab unity throughout our contemporary struggle and achieved, with Cairo, the first unity in modern Arab history, and as a continuation of the historical unification steps that began in Benghazi on the 31st of Safar 1391 AH, corresponding to the 17th of April 1971, with the signing by the three presidents—Anwar Sadat, President of the United Arab Republic; Muammar Gaddafi, Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council and Prime Minister of the Libyan Arab Republic; and Hafez al-Assad, President of the Syrian Arab Republic—of the declaration of the establishment of the Arab Republics Union and its fundamental provisions.
In culmination of the continuous efforts that have not ceased since then, which involved representatives from the three republics, to finalize the draft constitution of the Arab Republics Union,
And in response to the will of the Arab people to advance and double the effort in completing all preparatory and preliminary steps for the establishment of this union as an authentic Arab entity facing its Arab role and responding to its historical responsibilities in the Arab struggle and the Arab revolution,
Feeling the immense historical responsibility borne by the current Arab generation in facing the fierce wave of aggression against the Arab nation, their meeting in Damascus from the 26th to the 28th of Jumada al-Thani 1391 AH, corresponding to the 18th to the 20th of August 1971, was to finalize the discussion of the draft constitution of the Arab Republics Union and approve it in preparation for advancing the agreed steps in Benghazi for the establishment of the union and its institutions and the actual commencement of its Arab and historical responsibilities.
The meeting of the three presidents took place amidst widespread support and great hope expressed by the great Syrian Arab people, who, despite all circumstances, remained faithful to Arab unity, advocating for it, working for it, and struggling for it.
During their discussions and meetings with their accompanying delegations, which focused on the battle and assessing the situation in all its conditions and possibilities, the three presidents confirmed that the confrontation with the Zionist enemy, which is entrenched on our Arab land, is approaching a resolution. The enemy, sensing this, has intensified its ferocity and determination to entrench its occupation, using the most brutal means of oppression and coercion against Arab citizens in the occupied territories, alongside the escalation of global colonial powers, led by the United States, hostile to the Arab nation and the Arab future, in frantic attempts to weaken our front against the enemy, fragment its unity, and deprive its ability to decisively resolve the battle with the enemy in favor of the legitimate Arab cause. The current liquidation of the Palestinian resistance and the thwarting of its movement is part of the broader Zionist colonial plan aimed at securing and reinforcing the Israeli occupation of Arab land against the major uprising the Arab people are preparing for throughout the entire Arab homeland.
The three presidents affirm that this Zionist colonial scheme is doomed to fail in the face of the Arab people’s determination to liberate their land and restore their honor, and that the Arab nation possesses the energy and decisive weapons necessary to confront the direst challenges in the battle of destiny and to resolve the battle in favor of justice and peace.
The three presidents view the unification achieved by the Benghazi Declaration, and the establishment of the Arab Republics Union during this difficult period when the enemy believed it was close to imposing surrender on the Arab nation, as the decisive response that affirms the ability of the steadfast Arab will to consolidate its energies, confront its enemies, and thwart their conspiracies.
The three presidents expressed the Arab people’s belief in Arab unity as a conscious and informed understanding of Arab history and the nature of the Arab struggle with the enemies of the Arab people throughout history, as well as an awareness and understanding of the international situation and the ambitions surrounding the Arab region. They emphasized the necessity of establishing a politically and economically integrated entity across the Arab land to align with the demands of the contemporary era. Therefore, they focused on ensuring that this union is based on principles that guarantee its stability and continuity, and that it is founded on solid ground, taking lessons from the past to inform the present and future.
The three presidents are confident that by creating this union, they are establishing the solid core of the great hope that stirs in the hearts of the Arab people—the hope of comprehensive Arab unity. They are confident that the Arab masses in the three republics will advance this step forward and achieve, through their will and actions, the great Arab goals aimed at by the establishment of this union, thereby completing the Arab people’s hope for comprehensive Arab unity.
For all these reasons, and based on the Benghazi Declaration and the foundations laid by this declaration for the Union State to be the core of comprehensive Arab unity and the means for the Arab masses to establish a unified socialist Arab community and the main tool for the Arab nation in the liberation struggle, and emphasizing that the liberation of the occupied Arab land is the goal for which all resources and energies should be dedicated, and that there will be no reconciliation or negotiation with the Zionist enemy or concessions of any inch of occupied Arab land, and no compromise on the Palestinian cause, and continuing on the path to establishing the Arab Republics Union,
The assembled presidents have approved the draft constitution for the Union State to be submitted for a popular referendum along with the Benghazi Declaration and its fundamental provisions in the three republics on Wednesday, the 11th of Rajab 1391 AH, corresponding to the 1st of September 1971.
And God is the grantor of success.
