Mideast situation/Violations of Lebanese and Syrian airspace, attack – Letters from Syria to SecGen, Security Council President

Identical letters dated 5 October 2003 from the Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and to the President of the Security Council

On instructions from my Government, I have the honour to transmit herewith the text of a letter addressed to you by Farouk Al Sharaa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Arab Republic, concerning the violations of Syrian and Lebanese airspace committed on 5 October 2003 by the Israeli air force and the missile attack carried out by the latter on the same day against a civilian site situated inside Syrian territory (see annex).

I should be grateful if you would have the text of the present letter and its annex circulated as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed ) Fayssal Mekdad
Ambassador
Permanent Representative

Annex to the identical letters dated 5 October 2003 from the Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and to the President of the Security Council 

I wish to inform you that today, Sunday 5 October 2003, in the morning, the Israeli air force violated the airspace of Syria and Lebanon and launched a missile attack against a civilian site situated inside the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, in the village of Ain Al Sahib, north-west of the capital, Damascus. This attack has caused material damage.

The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic wishes to inform you of the brazen violation by Israel of Syrian and Lebanese airspace and of the aggression against Syrian territory, acts which constitute a flagrant violation of the principles of international law and mark a new and dangerous escalation. It invites the Security Council to convene an emergency meeting to consider the Israeli aggression against Syrian territory and the measures that it should take to put an end to the policy of provocation and aggression being pursued by Israel against Syria.

By its continuing aggression against the Palestinians and the strategies being adopted to extend the scope of this aggression against Syria and Lebanon, the current Israeli Government confirms yet again by its practices that it is a Government of war and not a Government of peace.

Syria is not incapable of establishing a balance of resistance and deterrence that would oblige Israel to revise its approach. Syria has demonstrated extreme restraint fully aware that Israel is attempting to fabricate all kinds of pretexts, gleaned from different quarters, to export its internal crisis to the region as a whole and to expose the region to a new escalation and a new conflagration.

Syria, currently a State Member of the Security Council, is convinced that this august Council is the best forum for dealing with this serious development, to condemn it and to put an end to it and prevent it from recurring, since it constitutes a threat to regional and international peace and security, which could have disastrous effects on the situation in the region that would be difficult to control.

(Signed) Farouk Al Sharaa 
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Syrian Arab Republic

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