Mideast situation/Lebanon/deportation – Letter from Lebanon

Letter dated 19 August 1988 from the Permanent Representative of

Lebanon to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

On instructions from my Government and further to my previous letters, the most recent being that contained in document A/43/541-S/20132 dated 18 August 1988, I have the honour to state that the information available to the competent Lebanese authorities indicates that Israel today decided to expel 25 more Palestinians from their homeland.

The Lebanese Government, in placing this information before the international community and, in particular, the Security Council, requests you to take the necessary steps to persuade Israel to desist from pursuing the policy of expulsion and to comply with the resolutions of the General Assembly, Security Council resolution 607 (1988) and international conventions, in particular, the fourth Geneva Convention of 1949.

The Lebanese Government warns that, in the event that Israel carried out the expulsion decision, it should not resort to deporting the 25 Palestinians across the international frontier to Lebanese territory.  Lebanon regards this type of deportation as a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity and reserves the right to call for a meeting of the Security council, at a time set by it, to discuss this matter and adopt deterrent measures against Israel.

I should be grateful if you arrange for the present letter to be circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under item 40 of the provisional agenda, and of the Security Council.

(Signed)  Rachid FAKHOURY

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

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