Situation in the OPT – Letter from United Arab Emirates

Letter dated 16 April 1985 from the Chargé d'affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of

the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the honour, in my capacity as Chairman of the Arab Group at the United Nations for the month of April 1985, to request that the letter dated 15 April 1985 addressed to you by the Deputy Permanent Observer for the Palestine Liberation Organization to the United Nations be circulated as an official document of the General Assembly, under items 33, 75 and 79 of the preliminary list of items to be included in the provisional agenda of the fortieth regular session of the General Assembly, and of the Security Council.

(Signed)  Mohammad AL-MOSFIR

Chargé d'affaires, a.i.

Chairman of the Arab Group

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*A/40/50 and Corr.1

ANNEX

Letter dated 15 April 1985 from the Deputy Permanent Observer of the

Palestine Liberation Organization to the United Nations

addressed to the Secretary-General

I am instructed by Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization to inform you that for the past few days Israeli occupation forces in the Tyre area have besieged the Palestinian refugee camps of Al Bas, Rashidiyeh, Burj al-Shamali,  and Abu Aswad, and have conducted house-to-house search and arrest campaigns.  270 Palestinian civilians have been arrested and taken to unknown destinations.

It is clear that Israeli occupation forces are attempting not only to break the will of the Palestinians in the area, but are hoping to create an atmosphere of terror and panic, facilitating the mass exodus of Palestinians from the Tyre area, as the Israeli occupation forces attempted in the Sidon area.

This strategy aims at the total liquidation of Palestinians in the refugee camps, and emptying southern Lebanon of all Palestinian presence, as the pre-requisite end essential condition for their plan to establish a so-called "safe border zone" which in turn announces the fulfillment of their aspiration to establish a sectarian, fascist, mini-state in southern Lebanon, for their isolationist allies.

Chairman Arafat once again calls on the United Nations to take adequate measures to put an immediate end to Tel Aviv's crimes against humanity, and to provide adequate protection for the safety and security of Palestinians living in areas under Israeli military occupation.

Accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.

(Signed) Riyad MANSOUR

Deputy Permanent Observer

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