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Documents

October 11, 1973

Letter from [Syrian President] Hafez al-Assad to [Chairman of the State Council of the GDR] Willi Stoph

Hafez al-Assad tells Stoph about the escalation of the war and about Israeli bombardment of civilian facilities and houses.

September 15, 1988

Note of a Meeting between the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED and Chairman, Comrade Erich Honecker, and the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO, Yasser Arafat, on 15 September 1988

Arafat reports that the First Intifada, which began ten months earlier, has strengthened the PLO. He describes the PLO’s plans going forward and their anticipated impact on Israel. Honecker expresses East Germany’s steadfast support for the PLO and talks about potential progress towards peace on the international stage.

November 3, 1973

Letter from GDR Leader Erich Honecker to Syrian President Hafez al-Assad

Letter from Erich Honecker to Syrian President Hafez al-Assad expressing the GDR's opposition to the Israeli occupation of land acquired during the 1967 Six-Day War, and enumerating the military equipment which had recently been delivered to Syria from the GDR.

October 1973

Letter from Syrian President Hafez al-Assad to GDR State Council Chairman Willi Stoph

Undated letter from Syrian President Hafez al-Assad to GDR State Council Chairman Willi Stoph requesting support in conflict with Israel

October 1973

Draft letter from Willi Stoph to Syrian President Hafez al-Assad in response to al-Assad's 6 and 10 October 1973 letters to Stoph

Draft letter from Willi Stoph to Syrian President Hafez al-Assad condemning Israel's aggression against Syria.

July 18, 1967

Memorandum of a Meeting between Houari Boumédiène, Abd al-Rahman Arif, Leonid I. Brezhnev, and Alexei Kosygin

Arif and Boumedienne talked to Brezhnev and Kossygin about the Six-Day War and discussed with them the possibilities for the Arab countries. The first possibility is to negotiate with the US and Israel and the second, to continue fighting, regardless of the cost. The Algerian representatives favored the second option, suggesting that otherwise an overthrow of the progressive Arab governments would be likely. Brezhnev and Kossygin argued, however, that a political solution would be more appropriate and that the main goal at the present time should be to strengthen the armies of Syria, Jordan and the UAR, and to support these countries in every respect.

August 1, 1983

Letter from Erich Honecker to Hafez al-Assad

Honecker shows his concern about the growing tensions within the PLO and between the PLO and the Syrian leadership. He appeals to Assad to continue his cooperation with Arafat.

December 15, 1988

Memorandum of a Conversation between Erich Honecker and Yasser Arafat in Berlin

The conversation focuses on the PLO's recent attempts to reach an agreement concerning the conflict in the Middle East. Arafat informs Honecker about his efforts to gain support for his initiative from the US and other countries.

June 20, 1967

On Soviet Policy following the Israeli Aggression in the Middle East

East German Document describing the speech by Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev to the Plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CC CPSU) on the actions undertaken by the Soviet leadership before and during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Brezhnev tells the CC CPSU plenum that the Arab struggle in the Middle East has both a class struggle and a national liberation dimension. Brezhnev blames Israeli aggression for the start of the war and Arab blunders and low morale for the humiliating defeat of the UAR forces. Given the success of the Israeli Defense Forces, the Soviets were forced to consider diplomatic and political methods for saving the Arab leadership. When Israeli forces did not stop their aggression against Syria, threatening to overrun the Syrian capital of Damascus, Brezhnev claims tells the CC CPSU that Soviet leadership warned the Americans that the Soviet Army would have to intervene and, at the same time, threatened the Israeli that any further actions would result in Soviet involvement in the war. Brezhnev claims that, since the war ended just hours after the Soviets had made their threats, the imperialist powers acquiesced to Soviet demands. This German translation of Brezhnev's speech was circulated to the SED leadership.

March 9, 1982

Stenographic Transcript of the Official Talks between Erich Honecker and Yasser Arafat in the House of the Central Committee of the SED in Berlin

The conversation is mainly concerned with the situation in the Middle East, but there are also some remarks about Poland, Afghanistan, and French-Israeli relations. Honecker emphasizes that only the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state can solve the Middle East conflict. He underlines the continuing support of the GDR for the PLO, for example, through military aid and the opening of an official PLO embassy in Berlin. Arafat points to the West German support for Israel and asks for further military aid.

Pagination