At the same meeting, the Council also decided, by a vote, that an invitation should be accorded to the representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization to participate in the debate and that that invitation would confer upon it the same rights of participation as those conferred on a Member State when it was invited to participate under rule 37 of the provisional rules of procedure. Adopted /1y /livotn to I (Untied Stain of America). wdiJ 4 ahstuntion\ !Atlltraliu. D<'lllllons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949,10 Seriously concemed about the situation in the Palestiman and other A rah ter!"itories occupied by Israel since 1CJ6 7. including Jerusalem. Bearing in mind the specific status of Jerusalem, I Reaffirms that the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War is applicable to the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including Jerusalem; 2 Strongly deplores the opening of fire by the Israeli army resulting in the death and the wounding of defenceless -,tudents; J. Calls upon Israel to abide immediately and scrupulously by the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Per-;ons in Time of War; 4. Furtha calls upon Israel to release any person or persons detained as a result of the recent events at Bir Zeit University in violation of the above-mentioned Geneva Convention; 5. Also calls on all concerned parties to exercise maxImum restraint, to avoid violent acts and to contribute towards the establi-;hment of peace; 6. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council on the implementation of the present resolution not later than 20 December 1986. Adopted at the :?.7271/r IIH'<'Iillg hy 14 vote.\ to 11011<'. wilh I ahst<'ll tio11 ( U11ited States oj A11H'rica I 111 Untied r-.;.ttlt>n'. I ,.,.,il\' St'nn, '"'- 75. No. <~7.1, p. 2X7 STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON THE OCCASION OF THE FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST MEETING OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL AND THE INAUGURATION ON 1 JANUARY 1986 OF THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PEACE Decision At the 2642nd meeting, on 17 January 1986, prior to the adoption of the agenda,3 1 the President made the following statement32 on behalf of the members of the Council: "On the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the tlrst meeting of the Security Council and the inauguration on I January 1986 of the International Year nf 11 The agenda for the meeting'"'" l'he "tuation 1n the Mtddk "'"' ll S/17745. 7 Peace, the members of the Security Couucil wish to reaffirm their commitment to the Charter of the United Nations which conferred on the Council the primary re-;ponsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. At the first meeting of the Council in London 40 years ago, Its members assumed this special responsibility in the conviction that it would prove a new beginning of the continuing quest for lasting peace and security. ''Although peace has been preserved on a global basis for 40 years, conflicts and tensions persist. Over the course of the 2600 meetings, the Security Council ha~