Back to PLO Bulletin 15-31 January 1982

EVENTS IN PHOTOS

ARAFAT SENDS LETTER TO KHALID MOHIEDDIN

On January 5 Arafat sent a letter to Khalid Mohieddin, General Secretary of the Egyptian National Progressive Unionist Grouping, in answer to Mohieddin's letter of congratulations on the Revolution's anniversary.

Arafat thanked Mohieddin and the members of his grouping for the support they extended to the just struggle of the Palestinian people under the leadership of the PLO.

He said: "Our struggle was inspired by the struggle of the heroic Egyptian people, their glorious Revolution and their sacrifices for the sake of Palestine and the Arab nation.

"Your support for, and adherence to, the firm struggle of the Palestinian people, their just cause, their armed struggle and their national aims, are a reflection of the historic and fateful unity between our fraternal peoples. This unity will never be affected by conspiracies and traps, it will on the contrary become stronger, based on a tradition of common sacrifices made in the same trench of struggle, against the same enemy - the only enemy - of our Arab nation: Zionism and imperialism."

Arafat praised the stands taken by Mohieddin's Grouping, "which stem from the character of the great and generous Egyptian people."

He pledged to continue the Revolution's victorious march, out of loyalty to the thousands of Egyptian, Palestinian and Arab martyrs, and to remain committed to the cause "until the liberation of Jerusalem and Palestine, and the return of our people to their homeland, to exercise self-determination, and build their independent state on the national soil in Palestine."

WAFA SIGNS COOPERATION AGREEMENTS WITH AGERPRESS AND A.D.N.

On January 16, the Palestine News Agency WAFA and the German Democratic Republic News Agency ADN signed a two-year cooperation agreement.

Gunter Potshke, Director General of ADN and candidate member of the German Socialist Unity Party Central Committee signed on behalf of the GDR agency, and WAFA's Director General Ziad Abdel Fattah on behalf of the Palestinian side.

The signing was attended by the GDR Ambassador in Lebanon, Bruno Sedlaczek, and the General Secretary of the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA), Dr. Farid Ayar.

The agreement involves cooperation in exchanging news, photographs and information, as well as technical support and training for WAFA.

Comrade Potschke came to Lebanon in response to an invitation from WAFA and FANA. During his stay he visited Lebanese Prime Minister Shafiq al-Wazzan, Information Minister Michel Edde, and the General Secretary of the Central Political Council of the Lebanese National Movement, Walid Junblatt.

He also toured south Lebanon where he met the Commander of the Joint Forces there, al-Haj Ismail. Before leaving he met Chairman Arafat who appreciated highly the role of GDR in supporting the just struggle of the Palestinian people.

Another cooperation agreement was signed between the Roumanian News Agency Agerpress and the Palestinian News Agency "WAFA" at the Roumanian News Agency's headquarters in Bucharest in early January.

The two sides agreed to campaign through the activity specific to the mass media for the attainment of the Palestinian and Rumanian people's common goals; to work for the deepening of acquaintance and the development of friendship between the two peoples, and to enlarge the links of friendship and collaboration between them.

The signing of the agreement was witnessed by Khalid al-Shaikh, the PLO Representative in Rumania, and the Assistant Director General of the Rumanian News Agency.

ARAFAT RECEIVES SOVIET DELEGATION

On January 22, Chairman Arafat received the Soviet Communist Party delegation which is currently visiting Lebanon. The delegation is headed by Brutants, deputy head of the International Relations Department of the Communist Party Central Committee, and includes Comrades Yuri Gradanov and Vyaseschlav Matuzov, in charge of Middle East and Lebanese affairs respectively in the International Department, and Comrade Yuri Suslikov, the Charge d'Affaires at the USSR embassy in Beirut.

Those present during the meeting included Muhsin Ibrahim, General Executive Secretary of the Central Political Council of the Lebanese National Movement; Nayef Hawatmeh, General Secretary of the DFLP, Dr. Samir Ghosheh, General Secretary of the Popular Struggle Front, Farouk Kaddoumi, head of the PLO Political Department, Abu Iyad and al-Hol, members of the Fateh Central Committee, PLO Executive Committee members Abu Maher al-Yamani, Dr. Ahmad Sidqi al-Dajani, and Yasser Abed Rabbo; and Nadim Abdel Samad, member of the Lebanese Communist Party's Political Bureau.

The meeting dealt with the current situation, and developments on the international, Arab, and local levels. The Israeli-US threats and the US-Israeli strategic cooperation agreement were given special attention. The US-Israeli threats to the Palestinian, Lebanese, and Arab peoples and the Israeli military build up in south Lebanon, as well as the daily Israeli overflights of Lebanese airspace and the patrols by Israeli naval vessels inside Lebanese waters were also thoroughly dealt with. The Israeli decision to annex the Golan Heights and the current US imperialist attempts at intensifying the cold war were discussed as well.

Both parties evaluated positively the firm relations of struggle existing between the USSR, the Palestinian Revolution and the Lebanese National Movement, as well as the common struggle of the USSR and the peoples' of Lebanon and Palestine against US imperialism and Zionism.