Khartoum Resolution
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| Khartoum Resolution | |
|---|---|
| Name | Khartoum Resolution |
| Date | 1 September 1967 |
| Place | Khartoum |
| Participants | Arab League, Kingdom of Jordan, United Arab Republic, Syrian Arab Republic, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen Arab Republic |
| Result | Adoption of the "Three No's" and a collective Arab communiqué following the Six-Day War |
Khartoum Resolution
The Khartoum Resolution was the collective communiqué issued by representatives of the Arab League convening in Khartoum immediately after the Six-Day War of June 1967. The statement crystallized political positions of major Arab capitals including Cairo, Damascus, Baghdad, Beirut, Amman, and Sanaa, articulating principles that shaped subsequent diplomacy involving Israel, United Nations Security Council, United States, and Soviet Union mediation. The communiqué’s content influenced the trajectory of the Arab–Israeli conflict, subsequent negotiations such as UN Security Council Resolution 242, and regional alignments during the late 1960s and 1970s.
Background
Delegations arrived in Khartoum in the aftermath of the decisive Israeli victory in the Six-Day War, which had resulted in territorial changes including the occupation of the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. The meeting followed intense military and diplomatic developments involving leaders such as Gamal Abdel Nasser, Hafez al-Assad, King Hussein of Jordan, Amin al-Hafez, and representatives of Iraq and Lebanon. Regional concerns intersected with superpower diplomacy by the United States and the Soviet Union and with initiatives from the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement.
Drafting and Participants
The conference assembled heads of state, foreign ministers, and military representatives from member states of the Arab League, with chairmanship exercised by leaders from Egypt and presiding officials from Sudan. Senior figures present included Gamal Abdel Nasser of United Arab Republic, King Hussein of Jordan, Amin al-Hafez-linked delegates from Syria, and envoys from Iraq and Lebanon. The drafting process involved delegations negotiating positions shaped by wartime losses, domestic political pressures exemplified in Cairo, Damascus, and Beirut, and strategic calculations influenced by allies such as the Soviet Union and interlocutors such as the United Kingdom and France. The text of the communiqué emerged from consultations among foreign ministries of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan and was formally adopted by the collective ministers.
Key Decisions and Principles
The communiqué articulated firm stances that summarized collective Arab responses to the outcome of the Six-Day War, including the famous formulation commonly summarized as the "Three No's": refusal of peace with Israel, refusal of recognition of Israel, and refusal of negotiations with Israel under prevailing circumstances. The statement reaffirmed support for the rights of Palestinian Arabs, invoked principles associated with self-determination and refugee issues after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and the 1967 displacements, and called for collective Arab measures regarding military readiness and diplomatic coordination. It also invoked appeals to multilateral fora such as the United Nations General Assembly and the Organisation of African Unity while signaling intent to pursue both political pressure and military deterrence.
Reactions and International Impact
The Khartoum communiqué was received with varied responses across capitals. In Washington, D.C., officials referenced implications for United States policy in the Middle East and for implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 242, while the Soviet Union assessed the statement in light of its relationships with Cairo and Damascus. Tel Aviv interpreted the positions as a hardening of Arab diplomacy, influencing Israeli strategic planning alongside continued engagement with France and United Kingdom arms suppliers. International media and think tanks in London, Paris, and New York City debated the communiqué’s prospects for producing a negotiated settlement, and it affected alliances within the Non-Aligned Movement and relations with the European Economic Community.
Implementation and Follow-up
In the months and years after Khartoum, Arab states pursued a range of measures consistent with the communiqué’s intent. Some capitals increased coordination through the Arab League’s institutional mechanisms, established military planning initiatives involving former commanders from Sinai and the Golan Heights campaigns, and supported Palestinian political structures such as the Palestine Liberation Organization. Diplomatic follow-up included stubborn insistence on maximalist positions during talks linked to UN Security Council Resolution 242 and subsequent negotiations, periodic rearticulations at later summits in Cairo and Beirut, and episodic military confrontations culminating in later conflicts including the Yom Kippur War. Meanwhile, international mediation efforts by figures like UN Secretary-General U Thant and envoys from the United States and Soviet Union engaged Arab leaders whose policies had been shaped at Khartoum.
Legal and Political Legacy
Legally, the communiqué affected interpretations of state practice and collective positions in international forums, influencing debates around UN Security Council Resolution 242’s principles of "withdrawal" and "peace" and informing subsequent resolutions in the General Assembly and Security Council. Politically, the Khartoum posture contributed to consolidation of inter-Arab consensus for a period while also provoking critiques from dissident voices within Yasser Arafat-aligned Palestinian politics and from pragmatic leaders who later participated in bilateral negotiations, such as representatives leading to the Camp David Accords and the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty. Scholars tracing continuity and change across the Arab–Israeli conflict treat the communiqué as a pivotal statement that both reflected immediate postwar realities and shaped diplomatic constraints that endured into the 1970s and beyond.