Israeli practices/letter from Yasser Arafat – SecCo President – Letter from Syria

LETTER DATED 30 APRIL 1979 FROM THE PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
 TO THE UNITED NATIONS ADDRESSED TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL

Upon instructions from my Government, I have the honour to enclose herewith the text of a cable dated 25 April 1979 addressed to His Excellency Dr. Kurt Waldheim, Secretary-General of the United Nations from Mr. Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

I would request you to circulate the enclosure as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed) Hammoud EL-CHOUFI

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

Annex

Telegram dated 25 April 1979 from Mr. Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization addressed to the Secretary-General

For the fifth consecutive day the Palestinian and Lebanese people in southern Lebanon have been subjected to a war of elimination carried out by Israeli forces, who have been using all manner of destructive weapons given them by the United States of America.

The attack extended from Beirut to the southern Lebanese border and targets included Palestinian refugee camps. The Israeli air, ground and sea assault comes at the same time as the exchange of the so-called peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.  This so-called treaty ignores all United Nations resolutions and decisions regarding the questions of Palestine and the Middle East and has served only to encourage the Israeli Government to continue its attacks against the Palestinian people and to escalate the tension in the area.  It aims at destroying any hope for a just peace and the guaranteeing of the rights of the Palestinian people, including the rights of return, the right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state in its homeland.

The continual attacks over the period of five days reveal the type of peace treaty signed in Washington.  These attacks prove that the so-called peace treaty was not the first step toward a comprehensive peace in the area but the first step towards the elimination of the Palestinian Arab people and an open invitation to wider wars in the Arab area, and wars that reach far beyond the Middle East and extend to the whole world.

These attacks confirm that Israel persists in ignoring the principles of the United Nations Charter and resolutions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and international conventions.  This makes it imperative for decisive international condemnation of whoever encourages such inhumane practices.

Out if my position of national responsibility I appeal to you to stand by our people who are being subjected to aggression.  I also appeal to you to support our rights, which are begin ignored by those who deny international legitimacy and those who ignore the rights of peoples to freedom and independence.

Yasser ARAFAT

Chairman

Executive Committee

Commander-in-Chief of

the forces of the Palestinian Revolution    

* *** *