Illegal Israeli actions in OPT/Gaza blockade/Investigation of flotilla attack – NAM, OIC and Arab Group at the UN – Letter from Egypt, Libya and Syria

Letter dated 22 June 2010 from the Permanent Representatives of Egypt,

the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations addressed

to the Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council

  We, Chairs of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM CoB), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Group, and the Arab Group in New York, in a follow-up to the presidential statement adopted by the United Nations Security Council on 1 June 2010 (S/PRST/2010/9) and the resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 2 June 2010 (A/HRC/RES/14/1), urgently request the following:

 •   The immediate, unconditional and complete lifting of the illegal Israeli blockade imposed on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the opening of all Israeli border crossing points to allow for freedom of movement of persons and goods into and out of the Gaza Strip and to allow for permanent unfettered humanitarian access, in accordance with international humanitarian law and relevant United Nations resolutions.

 •   Conducting, without delay, under the auspices of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, a full, impartial, credible, transparent and independent international investigation, in accordance with the international standards, of the Israeli military attack against the maritime humanitarian convoy sailing to Gaza, which took place in international waters on 31 May 2010.

  We reaffirm our conviction and the conviction of the States members of our groups that averting further escalation of tensions and destabilization of the situation, promoting a just, lasting, comprehensive and peaceful settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Arab-Israeli conflict as a whole, and ensuring the maintenance of peace and security in the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean region will depend on the full implementation of all the relevant United Nations resolutions, including Security Council resolutions, regarding the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East and on the achievement of serious and timely progress on the crucial aforementioned issues.

  It would be highly appreciated if the present letter could be circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda items 15 and 16, the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly, under agenda item 5, and of the Security Council.

(Signed ) Maged A. Abdelaziz

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Arab Republic of Egypt 

Chair of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement

(Signed ) Abdurrahman Mohamed Shalgham

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 

Chair of the Arab Group in New York

(Signed) Bashar Ja’afari 

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic 

Acting Chair of the Organization of the Islamic Conference Group

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