Letter to President Hafez al-Assad of Syria

While serving as President of the 34th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Dr. Salim travelled to the Syrian Arab Republic. He consulted with regional leaders about the Middle East situation and the question of Palestine, which had just been discussed during the Seventh Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly. 

The Seventh Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly (1980) was convened because of growing tensions in the Middle East, particularly following:

• Israel’s policies in the occupied Palestinian territories

• the broader Arab-Israeli conflict

• disputes around Jerusalem and Palestinian self-determination.

Dr. Salim often met directly with regional leaders to better understand their positions and build diplomatic support for UN initiatives.

Syria was a key regional actor, so meeting President Assad was an important part of those consultations.