Mideast situation/Lebanon – Khiam Detention Camp – Statement by Syrian FM – Note verbale from Syria

Note verbale dated 28 October 1999 from the Permanent Representative

of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations

addressed to the Secretary-General

The Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations presents his compliments to the Secretary-General and has the honour to transmit herewith the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Arab Republic on the occasion of the International Day to Close the Khiam Detention Camp in southern Lebanon (see annex).

The Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations would be grateful if the Secretary-General would have the annexed statement circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under items 43 and 116 of the agenda, and of the Security Council.

The Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations avails himself of this opportunity to renew to the Secretary-General the assurances of his highest consideration.

ANNEX

[Original:  Arabic]

Statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the

Syrian Arab Republic on the occasion of the International 

Day to Close the Khiam Detention Camp, 28 October 1999

The Syrian Arab Republic regards the International Day to Close the Khiam Detention Camp, 28 October, as an important opportunity for all freedom-loving forces in the world to state their position on operations of abduction, torture and arbitrary detention and on the regime of oppression to which the Lebanese combatants are subjected in the camp in question.

The Khiam Detention Camp has become the symbol of the flagrant violation of human rights and of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and all related international instruments, as well as of the lack of monitoring of the human rights of individuals taken as hostages without being charged or tried, some of whom have been in the camp for more than 15 years.

Israel has not allowed an international mission of inquiry or a human rights organization or even a press agency to enter the camp from the outset, because it wishes to conceal the massive violations of human rights which it perpetrates against detained or abducted persons.

All States, all peace-loving forces and all human rights organizations which place store by the Charter of the United Nations and the international human rights instruments should speak out loud and strong in protest against what is going on in the camp and should request its closure, demanding the urgent dispatch of an international commission of inquiry to the camp and determined action to put a halt to abduction and internment operations.

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