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Full DistributionV*"" Selective Distribution;— ApreuStrre Cccn/rin-nce si £ E Micy •10 UKREP BRUSSELS GflS 260C1 EN CLAIR FM UKMIS NEW YORK 12?.<S3"1 UNCLASSIFIED TO IMMEDIATE FCO TEL 110 1090OF 12 JULY INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP BRUSSELS (FOR PRIME MINISTER'S Ar-jD SECRETARY OF STATE'S PARTY) KAMPALA ROUTINE WASHINGTON PARIS INFO SAVING ROME STOCKHOLM NAIROBI UKMIS GENEVA EONN TOKYO DAR ES SALAAM BUCHAREST PANAMA. SECURITY COUNCIL: UGANDA HIJACKING FOLLOWING I S TEXT OF MY STATEMENT AT T H I S MORNING'S MEETING CF THE SECURITY COUNCIL-. T H I S MEETING OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL HAS BEEN CALLED TO CONSIDER THE EVENTS WHICH TOOK PLACE AT ENTEBBE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE NIGHT OF 3 - 4 JULY AND IN PARTICULAR THE ACTION UNDERTAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL TO SECURE THE RELEASE OF A NUMBER OF ISRAELI HOSTAGES HELD THERE. AS WE ALL KNOW, HOWEVER, EVENTS D I D NOT START THERE, BUT RATHER WITH THE HIJACKING ON 2 7 JUNE OF AN A I R FRANCE "JETLINER ON A FLIGHT FROM"ATTTENS TO PARIS. AT THE OUTSET THEREFORE, I MUST PUT ON RECORD IN THE STRONGEST POSSIBLE TERMS MY GOVERNMENT'S UTTER CONDEMNATION OF T H I S ACT OF A I R PIRACY AND THE SUBSEQUENT HOLDING HOSTAGE FOR SEVERAL DAYS OF OVER £ 5 0 INNOCENT PASSENGERS MiV CREW AT ENTEBBE AIRPORT. I T IS INTOLERABLE TO MY GOVERNMENT THAT, IN THE YEAR 1 9 7 6 , THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SHOULD S T I L L BE HELD TO T H I S KIND OF RANSOM BY LATTER-DAY HIGHWAYMEN. WE BELIEVE THAT I T IS THE DUTY OF THE ENTIRE IMTERIIATICN AL COMMUNITY TO MAKE CLEAR T H E I R CONDEMNATION Af-jD ABHORRENCE OF SUCH E V I L ACTIONS 'WHICH PUT AT RISK THE L I V£*S OF THE INNGCENT, AND, INDEED, STRIKE • AT THE F A B R I C OF THE COMMUNITY CF N A T I O N S . WE DEEPLY DEPLORE THE LOSS OF HUMAN L I F E AT ENTEBBE AIRPORT WHICH RESULTED FROM T H I S ACTION. AT THE SAME T I M E , WE ARE EXTREMELY PLEASED THAT Ti'L L I V E S OF SO MANY OF THE INNOCENT HOSTAGES WERE SAVED Af:D THAT THE H I J A C K I | ! < ATTEMPT I T S E L F F I N A L L Y E'SDED 111 THE FAILURE I T SO RICHLY DESERVED. MR PRESIDENT, LAST FRIDAY THE UGANDAN FOREIGN M I N I S T E R , IN REPLYING TO THE DISTINGUISHED PEPRF.SENTATI VE CF ISRAEL, '-'Ape SOME EXTRAORDINARY A»:D UNFOUNDED ALLEGATIONS ABOUT THi :ASE CF MRS DORA ELCCH, BRITISH CITIZEN WITH DUAL ISRAELI NATIONALITY. THE TRUE FACTS ARE AS FOLLOWS. WHEN V.'E FIRST HAD NEWS f F T ON 27 JUNE, WE ENQUIRED IP t , { C< ^ i I PASSENGERS ABOARD HAD BRlTICi ' f k L l ISRAELI AUTHORITIES L'»TCR I " j - i '•' T I J V, \ I' i Oi Ti (- A I t I ». "•>! If ' . ' f T'i / I f i r \ '