Situation in the OPT- Letter by OIC-Letter from Saudi Arabia

Letter dated 23 May 1990 from the Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the

United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

In my capacity as Chairman of the Islamic Group at the United Nations, I have the honour to enclose herewith the text of a letter from His Excellency Dr. Hamid Algabid, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, together with a letter from Mr. Engin Ansay, Permanent Observer of the Organization of the Islamic Conference to the United Nations.

I would be grateful if you would kindly circulate the text of the present letter and its annex as an official document of the General Assembly, under items 26 and 35 of the preliminary list, as well as of the Security Council.

(Signed) Samir S. SHIHABI

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

__________

* A/45/50.

ANNEX

Letter dated 21 May 1990 from the Permanent Observer of the Organization of the

Islamic Conference to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the honour to present a letter (see appendix) addressed to Your Excellency by His Excellency Dr. Hamid Algabid, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, regarding the deep concern of the OIC member States on the brutal massacre of innocent Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip by an Israeli soldier on 20 May 1990, followed by a ruthless assault on the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories by the Israeli forces, resulting in over 20 Palestinian casualties and injury to more than 1,000 men, women and children.

(Signed) Ahmet Engin ANSAY

Ambassador

Permanent Observer

APPENDIX

Letter dated 21 May 1990 from the Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference

addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations

I would like to convey to you the deep concern of the OIC member States concerning the brutal massacre of innocent Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip perpetrated by an Israeli soldier on 20 May 1990.

This horrible predetermined massacre was followed by a ruthless assault on the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories by the Israeli forces, resulting in over 20 Palestinian casualties and injury to more than 1,000 men, women and children.

It is evident that these atrocious crimes against humanity have been committed by the Israeli authorities, in collaboration with the Zionist settlers, and surpass in brutality the vivid memories of numerous massacres of the Palestinian people committed by the racist Zionist regime since its occupation of the Palestinian and Arab territories.

On behalf of the OIC, I would urge Your Excellency, and through you the President of the Security Council, to urgently take cognizance of the extremely serious situation prevailing in the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories and to oblige Israel to refrain from pursuing its campaign of aggression, oppression and terrorism against the Palestinian people.

The OIC is of the view that the human rights of the Palestinian people can only be protected by ensuring the unconditional and immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied territories and by placing these territories under temporary United Nations supervision so that the people of Palestine may effectively exercise their right to self-determination and to establish the State of Palestine on their national soil.

Pending the Israeli withdrawal, the United Nations must act resolutely now to uphold the application of the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 relating to the protection of civilian population in the occupied territories. The large-scale transfer of Soviet Jews to Palestine must also be stopped and reversed immediately as it not only constitutes a flagrant violation of international law but also has accentuated the tragedy of the Palestinian people. Moreover, these developments are impeding the peace process in the Middle East.

I would like to avail myself of this opportunity to once again urge Your Excellency to pursue the diplomatic process for establishing a just and durable peace in the Middle East. The convening of the International Conference for Peace in the Middle East with the participation of the permanent members of the Security Council as well as the PLO, on an equal footing, remains in our view a viable framework for the building of peace in this strife-torn region.

(Signed) Hamid ALGABID