Mideast situation/Lebanon – Letter from Lebanon

Letter dated 14 April 1988 from the Permanent Representative of

Lebanon to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

On instructions from my Government, I have the honour to inform you that the Israeli occupation authorities are preventing representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross from entering the Khiam and Marjayoun detention camps to investigate the conditions of Lebanese detainees there. Those same authorities show no humanitarian or moral qualms as they kill some of the detainees, torture others and prevent the detainees' relatives from visiting them.

The Lebanese Government most strongly condemns these actions and registers a vigorous protest over this fresh violation of the Geneva Conventions.  The Government has asked the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva to intervene, as a matter of urgency, to halt these Israeli practices against Lebanese detainees. It also requests you to intervene rapidly and effectively with a view to persuading Israel to comply in full with the Geneva Conventions, particularly the fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, and to respect its signature of that convention.

I should be grateful if you would kindly arrange to have this letter circulated as an official document of the General Assembly, under item 40 of the preliminary list, and of the Security Council.

(Signed)  Rachid FAKHOURY

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

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*A/43/50.