Assistance to the Palestinian people – Letter from Iraq

Identical letters dated 19 December 2000 from the Permanent Representative of Iraq

to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and to the President of the Security Council

On instructions from my Government, I have the honour to transmit to you herewith a letter dated 19 December 2000 from Mr. Mohammed Said Al-Sahaf, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iraq, reaffirming Iraq’s request that you do your utmost to secure agreement to the allocation of 1 billion euros from its oil-export revenues to the people of Palestine.

I should be grateful if you would have the present letter and its annex circulated as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed) Saeed H. Hasan

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

Annex to the identical letters dated 19 December 2000 from the Permanent Representative of Iraq to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and to the President of the Security Council

I refer to my letters dated 26 November and 10 December 2000 (S/2000/1119 and S/2000/1174) conveying formal notification that the Government of the Republic of Iraq is requesting you to include the people of Palestine in the occupied territories together with our people in Iraq in matters relating to food, medicine and other basic necessities. This is to be done by allocating a portion of Iraq’s oil revenues under the memorandum of understanding of 20 May 1996 between Iraq and the United Nations (S/1996/356) to the people of Palestine in order to support the national and patriotic stance it has taken, the people of Palestine having a legitimate right with respect to the assets of the fraternal people of Iraq. Iraq’s political leadership has also decided to allocate 1 billion euros from Iraq’s oil-export revenues for assistance to the families of those killed and wounded in the intifadah and to those whose homes and property have been damaged by the brutal Zionist aggression.

As the plight of the Palestinian Arab people in the occupied territories persists and worsens under daily Zionist aggression, I can only reaffirm my Government’s formal request that you do your utmost to secure speedy approval for this measure and that you inform us accordingly so that the relevant Iraqi authorities can make the necessary arrangements for its implementation.

(Signed) Mohammed Said Al-Sahaf

Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq