THIRTY-SEVENTH YEAR I th MEETING: 6 JUNE 1982 NEW YORK CONTENTS Provisional Adoption agenda (S/Agenda/2375) Page 1 ..................................... of the agenda ..................... ........................... I The situation in the Middle East: Letter dated 4 June 1982 from the Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/15162) . . . . . . . . . , . . . , , . . . . , . . . , . , . . . , . . . . . . . . . ..I....... . . ..I... 1 S/W .237S NOTE Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document. Documents of the Security Council (symbol S/. , .) are normally published in quarterly Supplements of the i3fficid Records of the Security Council. The date of the document indicates the supplement in which it appears or in which information about it is given. The resolutions of the Security Council, numbered in accordance with a system adopted in 1964, are published in yearly volumes of Resolutions md Decisions qf the Security Comcil. The new system, which has been applied retroactively LOresolutions adopted before 1 January 1965, became fully operative on that date. 2375th MEETING Held in New York on Sunday, 6 June 1982, at 7.45 p.m. Mr. Luc de La BARRE (France). President: de NANTEUIL 4. The SECRETARY-GENERAL: The present report is submitted in pursuance of Security Council resolution 508 (19821, which was adopted unanimously at the 2374th meeting of the Council on 5 June 1982 at 1730 hours (New York time). In that resolution, the Council called upon all the parties to the conflict to cease “immediately and simultaneously all military activities within Lebanon and across the tebaneseIsraeli border and no later than 0600 hours (local time) on Sunday, 6 June 1982”, i.e. 0400 hours (GMT) on 6 June, or midnight (New York time) on the night of 5/6 June. The Council also requested me to undertake all possible efforts to ensure the implementation of and compliance with the resolution and to report to the Council as early as possible, and not later than 48 hours after the adoption of the resolution. Pwsc~nt: The representatives of the following States: China, France, Guyana, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Panama, Poland, Spain, Togo, Uganda, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Zaire. Provisional agenda (S/Agenda/2375) I. Adoption of the agenda 2. The situation in the Middle East: Letter dated 4 June 1982 from the Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/15162) 5. As the Council is aware, prior to the adoption of the resolution I had already made an urgent appeal to the parties for such a cessation of hostilities. Thereafter, following the adoption of the resolution, the representative of the PLO reaffirmed its commitment to stop all military operations across the Lebanese border while reserving its right to respond in case of any Israeli aggression, The representative of Israel informed me yesterday at 2300 hours (New York time) that, while Israeli reactions were in exercise of its right of self-defence, the resolution of the Security Council would be brought before the Israeli Cabinet. Adoption of the agenda The situation in the Middle East: Letter dated 4 June 1982 from the Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/15162) 6. In a message to Lieutenant-General Callaghan, the Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (WNIFIL), I instructed him to use every possibility of following up on my appeal to the parties and the subsequent resolution of the Council. 1. The PRESIDENT (interpwtcltion ,fic~m Fwnch): In accordance with decisions taken at the 2374th meeting, I invite the representatives of Lebanon and Israel to take places at the Council table. I invite the representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to take a place at the Council table. 7. I regret to state, however, that despite all efforts throughout the night, it was not possible to effect a cease-tire. Indeed, hostilities have escalated dangerously. In this connection, it is relevant to record that Mr. Arafat, Chairman of the Executive Committee of PLO, in response to a message from me, informed me that in spite of heavy Israeli airstrikes after the scheduled time of the cease-fire, he had given orders to all PLO units to withhold fire for a further unspecified period. This was, of course, before the Israeli ground operations had started. 2. The PRESIDENT (intcrpwtcrtion jwn Fwnchj: Members of the Council have before them document S/ I.5 17 I, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by Ireland. Members also have before them document S/15170, which contains the text of a letter dated 6 June from the representative of Oman to the President of the Council. 3. 8. The following is the information the Commander of UNIFIL. 9. Between 2100 hours (GMT) on 5 June 1982 and 0400 hours (GMT) on 6 June, there were intormittcnt I now call on the Secretary-General.,.. 1 6 received from and relatively light exchanges of fire between positions of the armed elements (mainly PLO and the Lebanese National Movement) on the one hand, and the Israel Defence Forces and the &J ,firc.fo forces on the other. The exchanges of fire involved, or affected, the following areas: on the one side, in Lebanon, Tyre and vicinity, Ch%eau de Beaufort, Nabatiyah and the Kawkaba-Hasbayah area: on the other side, Marjayoun in Lebanon and the area of Metulla in Israel. 14. Finally. I must inform the Council with profound regret that a Norwegian soldier has been killed by shrapnel in circumstances that are not yet clear. I shall report to the Council on further developments. 15. Mr. DORR (Ireland): As we all know, the situation in Lebanon at this moment is extremely gctve. Over the past 24 hours there has been a massive invasion of Lebanese territory. Many lives have already been lost. With this invasion the spiral of violence in the region has taken another and most serious turn. Escalation now is rapid. The direction of the spiral is always upward. 10. From 0424 hours (GMT), i.e. 0624 hours local Lebanese time (and after the cease-fire time set by the Council), to 1235 hours (GMT), intensive air-attacks were launched by Israel, with approximately 110 strikes being recorded by UNIFIL. These strikes occurred principally in the area of ChHteau de Beaufort and Tyre and its vicinity, from where there was antiaircraft fire. One aircraft was observed to have been downed north of the Litani river, near Ch;iteau de Beaufort. 16. That rapid escalation causes us the most grnve concern. This is not a time for long speeches or for extended debate: it is a time for action-rapid actionby the Council. If that action is to be truly effective. the Council should try to act in unison. \Ne need to bring the full moral and legal authority of the Council to bear on the situation in order to call a halt. As n Council we carry the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. In exercise of that responsibility we must demand an end to all hostilities and the strictest respect for the territorial integrity, the sovereignty and the pollitical independence of Lebanon. I I. At around 0930 hours (GMT), UNIFIL reported that Israeli ground forces-including a very large number of tanks and armoured personnel carriershad begun to move into Lebanese territory in strength. They moved along three main axes: in the west, along the coastal road; in the central sector, towards Ett Taibe and the Akiya bridge; and in the eastern sector, through the Kafer Chouba-Chebaa area, As at 2100 hours (GMT). the Israeli forces are reported to have reached the following locations: Tyre, on the coastal road, where heavy fighting is reported; in the central sector, Israeli forces have neared Nabatiyah, but it is not known whether they have entered the town; in the eastern sector, Israeli columns are moving towards Hasbaya. There is also a heavy concentration of tanks in the Khardala and Blate areas. I have also been informed by General Callaghan of extremely heavy aerial bombardment of Tyre, which is bound to cause numerous casualties as well as extensive destruction. 17. That is the aim of the draft resolution! contained in document S/15171, which I wish to introduce formally to the Council on behalf of Ireland. 18. In the preamble, the Council reaffirms the need for strict respect for the territorial integriity, SOWXeignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognized boundaries. ‘That must always be the starting-point and the basic aim of all action by the Council in this matter. 19. In operative paragraph 1, the Counciil demands that Israel withdraw all its military forces forthwith and unconditionally to the internationally recognized boundaries of Lebanon; it demands that iall parties observe strictly the terms of paragraph I of resolution 508 (1982), which we adopted yesterday, and operative paragraph 2 spells out those terms. In Paragraph 3, the Councit calls on all parties to ‘communicate to the Secretary-General their acceptance of the present resolution within twenty-four hours and in paragraph 4, the Council decides to remain seized of the question. 12. As the Israeli forces moved into southern Lebanon, the Commander of UNIFIL gave instructions for the standing operational procedures to be put into effect by all units. These include measures to block advancing forces and also defense measures. The overwhelming strength and weight of the Israeli forces precluded the possibility of stopping them, and UNIFIL positions in the line of the invasion have thus been overrun or bypassed. 13. UNIFIL is, of course, a peace-keeping force with a specific mandate entrusted to it by the Security Council, which is based on the assumption that the parties to the conflict will take the necessary steps for compliance with the decisions of the Council. The Force has neither the mandate, nor the military capacity, to counter an invasion such as is now taking place, which is estimated to comprise more than two mechanized divisions with full air and naval support. 20. I believe, on the basis of our informal consultations, that it is possible that this draft could be the basis for common and urgent action by the Council in this grave situation. I therefore commend the draft to the Council and I hope that it will be adopted. 2 I. The PRESIDENT (interpretcrtiot? jkrn F~td~~: The next speaker is the representative of Israel, on whom I now call. 2 / I 22. Mr. BLUM (Israel): In the Council’s meeting yesterday [237&h meeting] the representative of Lebanon made what was apparently a slip of the tongue. Since slips of the tongue are not likely to be recorded in the minutes of the Council, and because of the revealing nature of the case in point, I should like to commit it to posterity. were killed and I9 people were wounded, including 2 children and 2 Austrian policemen. This was reported by me to the Council in document S/l4670 of 31 August. 29. On 7 October, an explosive charge went off at a building in Rome housing the offices of Israel’s national airline, El Al. Eight people were wounded and the premises were badly damaged. 23. Mr. Tuini called upon the Council to consider “the aggression against Israel”. Mr. Tueni is, of course, right. Israel, indeed, has been the target of ongoing aggression for many years. Yet, the Council has not evinced the slightest interest in all those acts of warpdre, violence and terrorism which in their totality manifest the ongoing Arab aggression against my country. Let me assure Mr. TuCni that the Council will remain equally indifferent now to the display of Arab aggression against my country and against my people. 30. On 20 October, a booby-trapped car exploded opposite the Jewish Portuguese Community Synagogue in Antwerp, only minutes before special holiday services were due to begin. Three people were killed and about 100 wounded. 31. On 15 January 1982, the PLO bombed a Jewishowned restaurant frequented by Jewish patrons in West Berlin. The explosion killed a l4-month-old girl and wounded 24 other people. This was reported by me to the Council in document S/14842 on 20 January. 24. The Council cannot even plead ignorance in this regard. Israel has regularly informed the Council, over the years, of the attempted atrocities and the actual atrocities perpetrated by the PLO against Israel, Israelis and Jews around the world. In fact, I would even venture to say that we have long been among the most diligent correspondents of the Council in recent years. Permit me, therefore, Mr. President, to refresh the Council’s memory and to remind its members of some of the “highlights” of PLO barbarism in recent years. 32. On 3 April, a PLO terrorist shot and killed a diplomat at the Israel Embassy in Paris, outside his home in the French capital. The murder of Mr. Yacov Barsimantov by a 20-year-old female terrorist, who shot him at point-blank range, was witnessed by his family. Responsibility for the murder was assumed by the “Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Faction”, one of the many aliases of the terrorist PLO. Being the seasoned criminals that they are, the PLO terrorists have developed the fine technique of adopting such aliases specially invented for the purpose of covering up their crimes. This was reported to the Council by the ChargC d’affaires ofthe Mission of Israel in document S/1495 1 of 3 April. 25. On 22 April 1979, four PLO terrorists landed at night on the coast of Nahariya in a rubber dinghy after setting out from the Lebanese port of Tyre. On reaching Nahariya, the terrorists attacked an apartment building, killing one Israel civilian, his two small children and an Israel policeman. This was reported by me to the Security Council in document S/ 13264 of 23 April. 33. And last week, on 3 June, a group of PLO terrorists attempted to assassinate Israel’s Ambassadot to the Court of St. James, Mr. Shlomo Argov, as he was leaving a hotel in central London. One of the PLO terrorists of the group fired at point-blank range, seriously wounding our Ambassador, who underwent brain surgery and remains in critical condition in a London hospital. This was reported by me to the Council in document S/15158 of 4 June. 26. On 6 April 1980, five PLO terrorists of the socalled Arab Liberation Front infiltrated Israel from Lebanon and attacked a children’s nursery at Kibbutz Misgav Am on Israel’s northern border. A two-yearold child and a kibbutz secretary were murdered by the terrorists and one soldier was killed. One adult civilian, 4 children and I I soldiers were injured. This was reported by me to the Council in document S/ I3876 of 7 April. 34. That is by no means the statistical sum total of PLO atrocities over the years. Let me just point out, in this connection, that even in the relatively short period of time which has elapsed since the July 1981 agreement on cessation of hostilities, the total of dead and wounded at the hands of the PLO has steadily mounted to a point where it now reaches 17 dead and 241 wounded in a total of I41 terrorist acts, all of them originating from terrorist bases inside Lebanon. And to give some indication of the escalation of terrorist activity in the last few weeks, I would point out that since 9 May this year-less than one month ago28 acts of PLO terrorism have been reported in Israel and abroad and against the area under the control of Major Saad Haddad in southern Lebanon. 27. On 27 July, a PLO terrorist hurled two grenades into a group numbering 40 Jewish schoolchildren waiting to board a bus outside a community centre in Antwerp. One child was killed outright, seven others were wounded, in addition to ten adults and a pregnant woman all of whom sustained injuries. This was reported by me to the Council in document S/l4081 of 30 July. 28. On 29 August 1981, terrorists of the PLO faction “Black June” attacked a synagogue in Vienna using hand grenades and machine-guns. Two worshippers 3 35. These and many hundreds of additional terrorist attacks against Israel, Israelis and Jews were regularly reported by us to the Council. All our reports have gone unheeded. The Council has remained unmoved and did not see fit to act with a view to curbing the criminal activities of the PLO. Nor did the Council ever pronounce itself against the harassment by the PLO of Israel’s civilian population in the northern part of OUI country, which has been repeatedly subjected to massive bombardments, shelling and rocket attacks by the PLO using long-range artillery pieces and Katyusha rocket launchers supplied to them by the Soviet Union. simply doing their shopping, how malny ordinary Israeli civilians asleep in their beds, how many of Israel’s diplomats must be murdered by the PLO for the Council to realize that Israel and its people are one of the prime targets of international terrorism and of its foremost exponent and linchpin, the murderous PLO? The answer is simple. It is grounded in the bitter experience of many years. Given the parliamentary situation in the Organization and the constellation within the Council, Israel cannot expect thlis body even to deplore PLO barbarism against Israel’s civilian population, let alone take any steps with a view to curbing that barbarism, 36. When is the Council galvanized into action? When Israel, after years of unparalleled restraint, finally resorts to the exercise of its right of self-defence, the fundamental and inalienable right of any State, which is also recognized by the Charter of the United Nations as the inherent right of Member States of the Organization. In order to save a terrorist organization from well-deserved and long-overdue retribution, the Council is convened in emergency meetings, urgent meetings and every conceivable form of extraordinary session. It is the same Council which over all these years has not found the time to devote even one such meeting to a debate on the situation in Lebanon as a whole and to the causes underlying that unfortunate country’s predicament. It is the same Council which has not found the time to discuss the mass murder and bloodbath perpetrated by the rCgime of the Assad brothers of Syria against the people of Hama, the fifth largest city of that country, last February. It is the same Council which has not found time over the past I9 months to discuss the Iraqi aggression against Iran and the resulting misery for millions of people, including more than 2 million refugees. It is the same Council which has not seen fit to discuss since January 1980 the ongoing rape of Afghanistan by the Soviet army of occupation, It is the same Council which has not found time to discuss in over three years -since January 1979, to be precisethe continuous genocide of the people of Kampuchea, a country which has been subjected equally to external aggression from Viet Nam. And it is the same Council which has never found time to consider the suppression of the Polish people by a military regime imposed on it from without. 39. It thus becomes imperative for the Governmen! of Israel to exercise its legitimate right of self-defence to protect the lives of its citizens and to (ensure their safety. Indeed, I would ask how many States repnsented here would agree to sit back passively and watch their own women and children murdered md maimed by terrorists? How many States represented here in the Council are willing to accept an unconditional cessation of hostilities without guaranteeing what they perceive as their vital interests? Yet we are still confronted with the strange phenomenon that countries that one day vote against such a call for an unconditional cessation of hostilities when the matter affects them in one part of the world have no compunction about supporting, the following day, a similar Cd in another part of the world. 37. Perhaps I have been a trifle naive, but I have been under the impression that the primary duty of the Council was and remains the promotion of international peace and security, not the encouragement of international terrorism or the protection of its practitioners. 38. Let me ask the Council a simple question: how many Israelis have to be killed by the PLO terrorists for the Council to be persuaded that the limits of our endurance have been reached? How many passengers on civilian buses, how many Israeli schoolchildren, now many Israeli toddlers, how many Israeli women ; j i ! i 40. Reference was made in the Council1 yesterday to the fact that the hit list of the PLO terrorisls involved in the assassination attempt in London against Mr. Shlomo Argov apparently included tlhe resident PLO terrorist in the British capital. If indeed this information is correct it should not occasion any surprise. After all, the settling of scores in the criminal underworld is a welt-known fact of life and there is no reason to expect that this should be any less applicable to the PLO criminal community. In fact, its constant internecine feuding and reciprocal assassinations have proved over the decades a characteristic