In the course of the past year, significant results were achieved in the Middle East peace process, signalling the parties' continued commitment to proceed on the road to peace. An outstanding achievement was the conclusion, on 26 October 1994, of the historic Treaty of Peace between the State of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. I warmly welcome this momentous agreement, which ended a decades-long state of war.
Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) continued the implementation of their Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, signed on 13 September 1993. By December 1994, the Palestinian Authority, which had been established in May in most of the Gaza Strip and the Jericho area, was given responsibility for health, education, social welfare, tourism and direct taxation in the other areas of the West Bank. Israel and the PLO are at present negotiating the redeployment of Israeli military forces in the West Bank and the holding of elections for the Palestinian Council; interim understandings on an agreement have been reached by leaders on both sides.
Meanwhile, multilateral negotiations on Middle East regional issues have proceeded, creating a network of common projects among countries in the region. The United Nations participates actively in the multilateral negotiations as a full extraregional participant.
Hope has been generated by these encouraging signs that progress can be accelerated in the Israeli-Lebanese and Israeli-Syrian negotiations leading to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978).
The Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been complicated and set back, on more than one occasion, by terrorist attacks from enemies of peace in which dozens of civilians have been killed and wounded. I have condemned these incidents and I am encouraged by the determination of Israeli and Palestinian leaders to continue the peace process.
In addition, concern in the international community has been generated by the Government of Israel's decisions to expropriate land and expand settlements in the occupied territories. The subject was taken up in deliberations in the Security Council at its formal meetings on 28 February 1995 and 12 May 1995.
The peace process needs broad public support and without a visible improvement in the living conditions of the Palestinians this support will remain fragile. In this connection, I have to draw attention to the damaging effects which closures of the occupied territories by Israel have had on the nascent Palestinian economy.
In its efforts to support the Arab-Israeli peace process, the United Nations has placed special emphasis on sustainable economic and social development in the occupied territories. The United Nations Special Coordinator, Mr. Terje Rod Larsen, has been active in strengthening local coordination between agencies and programmes of the United Nations system, the Bretton Woods institutions and the donor community. He works in close cooperation with the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction. The first results of the international assistance efforts are already visible, especially in institution-building and the infrastructure.
In southern Lebanon hostilities have continued at a high level between Israeli forces and armed elements that have proclaimed their resistance to Israeli occupation. On several occasions civilian targets on both sides came under attack. I have called for restraint and urged the parties to refrain from attacking civilians.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has sought to limit the conflict and to protect inhabitants from violence. In resolution 1006 (1995) of 28 July 1995, the Security Council reaffirmed the mandate of UNIFIL as defined in its resolution 425 (1978) and subsequent resolutions, to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces, restore international peace and security, and assist the Government of Lebanon in ensuring the return of its effective authority in the area. Although UNIFIL has not been able to make visible progress towards these objectives, it has contributed to stability in the area and afforded a measure of protection to the population of southern Lebanon. On the basis of the request for my good offices regarding the detainees held in Khiam jail in the area controlled by the Israel Defence Forces in southern Lebanon, I have authorized the appropriate contacts in that regard.
In July 1994, I initiated a study to determine how UNIFIL could perform its essential functions with reduced strength in view of the long-term problem of the shortfall in its assessed contributions. By its resolution 1006 (1995), the Security Council approved my proposal for a streamlining, which will result in a 10 per cent reduction of the Force's strength and direct savings of $10 million a year. This will not affect UNIFIL's operational capacity.
The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) continued to supervise the area of separation between the Israeli and Syrian forces and the areas of limitation of armaments and forces provided for in the disengagement agreement of 1974. With the cooperation of both sides, UNDOF has discharged its tasks effectively and its area of operation has been quiet.
The United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), which is the oldest existing peace-keeping operation, has continued to assist UNDOF and UNIFIL in carrying out their tasks and has maintained its presence in Egypt. A streamlining undertaken by UNTSO is under way and will result in a 20 per cent reduction of its strength and corresponding savings in expenditures.
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