U.S. Urged Not to Shut PLO Office as U.N. Opens Debate
Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar, opening an emergency session of the General Assembly on Monday, urged the United States not to close the U.N. mission of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
“This question has immediate and profound importance for the United Nations,” he said as the 159-member assembly convened a three-day session to condemn the U.S. plan to close the PLO mission.
Anti-terrorist legislation approved by Congress last year and signed by President Reagan calls for the 13-year-old mission to be closed by March 21.
“The PLO is an invitee of the United Nations, and the United States is obliged by its U.N. headquarters agreement to permit accredited PLO personnel to enter and remain in the U.S. and carry out their official functions,” he said.
Representatives of the 21-nation Arab Group, the PLO and the 45-nation Islamic Conference urged the United States to submit the dispute to binding arbitration.
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