Mideast situation/Situation in the OPT – Letter from Egypt

Letter dated 18 December 1987 from the Permanent Representative of Egypt

to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the honour to transmit herewith the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt on the current situation in the occupied Arab territories (see annex).

I kindly request you to circulate this letter and its annex as an official document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 38, and of the Security Council.

(Signed)  Abdel Halim BADAWI

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

ANNEX

Text of the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

of the Arab Republic of Egypt

An official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Egypt had received with deep concern and extreme regret the news of the continuing escalation of violent incidents in the occupied territories resulting from the Israeli measures of oppression, especially in view of the increasing number of innocent persons killed by the gun-fire of Israeli forces.  Regrettably, although Egypt and the peace-loving forces of the world have clearly stated that it is imperative to put a speedy end to the Israeli measures of oppression, these measures have not ceased.  On the contrary, the press agencies have in the last few hours been reiterating the news of a raid on southern Lebanon by Israeli armed forces.  Egypt considers this a dangerous escalation of the situation in the region as a whole and one that is liable to bring in its wake more extensive dangers.  It constitutes a very real obstacle to Egypt's indefatigable efforts to promote peace and achieve a just settlement.

Egypt calls upon the Israeli leadership to reconsider the policy of escalation, which will lead only to more bloodshed and the creation of obstacles to Egypt's sincere efforts to promote peace, efforts which have received full support from all peace-loving forces throughout the world.

The source added that the current situation is extremely dangerous and that the world as a whole is called upon to make it clear to Israel quite categorically that policies of escalation may involve the region in more extensive and more dangerous confrontations; this we must take immediate action to prevent.

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