Mideast situation/Assassination of al-Wazir – OIC communique – Letter from Jordan

Letter dated 20 April 1988 from the Permanent Representative of

Jordan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

In my capacity as Chairman of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, I have the honour to enclose herewith the text of the communiqué adopted by the members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference at the United Nations, at the urgent meeting to consider the situation created by the new deliberate attack on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Tunisia, held in New York on 20 April 1988 (see annex).

I should be grateful if you would have the present letter and its annex circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under items 37 and 77 of the preliminary list, and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Abdullah SALAH

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

__________

*A/43/50.

ANNEX

Communiqué adopted by the members of the Organization of the Islamic

Conference at the United Nations, at the urgent meeting to consider

the situation created by the new deliberate attack on the territorial

integrity and sovereignty of Tunisia, held in New York, on

20 April 1988

An urgent meeting of the members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference at the United Nations was held in New York on Wednesday, 20 April 1988, to consider the terrorist assault perpetrated by Israel during the early hours of 16 April 1988 against Tunisia, violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a member State of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and a Member of the United Nations, by attacking under cover of darkness the residence of Mr. Khalil AL-WAZIR (“ABU JIHAD”), Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the forces of the Palestine Liberation Organization, brutally assassinating him and two other Palestinians and a Tunisian national, with Israeli commando units estimated to number no less than 30 supported by sophisticated naval and aerial coverage.

The meeting strongly condemned this heinous Israeli terrorist act of aggression against Tunisia, which is a flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the norms of international law and the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity of States.

The meeting further condemned this repeated act of state terrorism against a hospitable and peaceful sovereign State, Member of the United Nations, in total disregard of Security Council resolution 573 (1985) which demanded that Israel refrain from perpetrating such acts of aggression and requested the States Members of the United Nations to take measures to dissuade Israel from resorting to such acts against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States.

In this connection, the meeting expressed its support and solidarity with the people and Government of Tunisia and the Palestine Liberation Organization in the face of this blatant act of aggression and its dangerous consequences.  Furthermore, the meeting fully supported Tunisia in its request for an immediate meeting of the Security Council to consider effective appropriate action against this aggression.

The meeting noted that this dastardly aggression by Israel against Tunisia coincided with Israel’s ongoing campaign of terror conducted by its armed forces and armed Israeli settlers against the Palestinian Arab people in the occupied Palestinian territories who are subjected to the ugliest forms of terror, oppression, torture, murder, deportation and demolition of houses.

This act of aggression once again reveals the true face and expansionist designs of Israel by resorting to savage practices aimed at the total annihilation of the Palestinian people.

The Israeli excessive practices and attempts to suppress the Palestinian national uprising, climaxed by the most recent violation of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Tunisia and the assassination of one of the leaders of the Palestinian people, justify the most urgent need of the international community to help bring about an urgent, just and peaceful settlement of the Palestine question in accordance with all the United Nations resolutions and the attainment of the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people to return to their homeland, to self-determination and establishment of their independent State on their national territory.

In this connection, the meeting reiterated the resolutions of previous Islamic Conference, including that of the recent seventeenth Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers – “session of Islamic solidarity with the uprising of the Palestine people” – held in Amman, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, from 3 to 7 Sha’ban 1480H, corresponding to 21 to 25 March 1988.

The meeting reiterated its full support and solidarity with the Government and people of Tunisia and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

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