Mideast situation/Palestine refugees – Letter from CEIRPP Chairman

Letter dated 13 June 1986 from the Chairman of the Committee on

the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People

addressed to the Secretary-General

In my capacity as Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, I wish to express once again the Committee's grave concern at the persistence and intensification of the attacks against Palestinians in the refugee camps of Sabra, Shatila and Burj el-Barajneh in Beirut.  Since my letter of 5 June on this question (A/41/399-S/18133), the violence and destruction have continued to grow, causing an incalculable number of victims and serious material damage in the refugee camps.

In his statement of 6 June 1986 (S/18138), issued on behalf of the members of the Security Council, the President of the Council appealed to all concerned to use their influence in bringing about the cessation of the fighting in order to enable the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East as well as other humanitarian organizations to mount emergency operations for the benefit of the populations concerned, including the Palestinian refugees, towards whom the international community has a particular responsibility.

Despite this appeal, the attacks have continued and intensified, with tragic consequences for the civilian population of the refugee camps, who have no adequate protection.  On behalf of the Committee, I must reaffirm that the United Nations, particularly the Security Council, clearly has the responsibility to guarantee the physical safety of the Palestinian refugees, and I earnestly request you to take urgently all the necessary measures to put an end to these attacks and to provide emergency relief to the refugees.

At the same time, the Committee urges you to renew your efforts to promote a just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine, the underlying cause of the conflict in the Middle East, since in the absence of such a solution violence will continue to intensify in the region, with disastrous consequences for international peace and security.

I should be grateful if you would have this letter distributed as a document of the General Assembly, under item 35 of the preliminary list, and of the Security Council.

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