KOFI ANNAN'S COMMENTS ON THE SITUATION
New York, 21 November 2000The Secretary-General condemns in the strongest possible terms the violence that took place in the Gaza strip yesterday. He appeals to the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to cease all escalatory actions and to do their utmost to stop the violence, which has cost so many lives and caused so much tragedy. Yesterday's attacks can only further complicate the prospects for dialogue, which is the only way forward to a just and peaceful solution.
New York, 7 November 2000 - Appointment by US President Bill Clinton of a committee of fact-finding, established in accordance with understandings reached at Sharm el-Sheikh
The Secretary-General warmly welcomes the appointment by President Clinton of a committee of fact-finding, established in accordance with the understandings reached at the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit. As agreed at Sharm el-Sheikh, the Secretary-General was closely involved in the consultations on the composition of the committee.
The Secretary-General has full confidence in the members of the committee, who are individuals of the highest integrity. He is convinced that the committee will carry out its duties with impartiality and thoroughness, and that it will thereby make an important contribution towards the search for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.
The Secretary-General hopes that the committee will begin its work in the very near future, and that it will pursue its efforts in a sustained manner. Meanwhile, he reiterates his call to the parties to implement in good faith all the understandings reached at Sharm-el-Sheikh, with the aim of bringing violence to an end and restoring an atmosphere of calm in which the search for a peace settlement can be resumed.
New York, 7 November 2000 - Transcript of Secretary-General's exchange with the press
Question: Would you kindly tell us, after you had made it clear that you opposed the protection force in your interview with Europe 1 [radio], have you spoken to Mr. Arafat about it? How does he feel about you taking positions? What is the message you are taking to the Muslims at the summit that you will be attending in Doha?
The Secretary-General: Let me first say that the answer to the question was that we need both parties to agree. In all these operations, we need the consent and cooperation of the two parties. As the Israeli Government made it clear that it would not cooperate, I did not see how the troops could be deployed. That was my statement, not that I am opposed to it. I have explained to you what the situation was, because quite frankly you need both.
On the question of what message I take to Doha, I think I am going to Doha to listen to the leaders. I trust we will have lots of discussions on what is going on in the Middle East, in particular the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. But I would also expect the leaders to talk about the broader peace effort, which would eventually entail the Syrian and the Lebanese tracks.
Question: There has been a lot of discussion about trying to do something on Iraq. At the Doha summit, you are going to have the opportunity to talk to the senior Iraqi representatives there. Are you going to try and make some effort to see if you can get any response from the Iraqis on the question of movement on the resolution?
The Secretary-General: No, I will have a chance to talk to the Iraqi leadership in Doha and I suspect the discussions will be broad-ranging. I think the Iraqis, like many of the Member States here in this Organization, would like to see the impasse we are in broken and for us to move forward. And so I am looking forward to talking to them in Doha.
Question: Are you going to go with any proposals to try and move the process forward?
The Secretary-General: This is an issue the Security Council is dealing with and, obviously, whatever proposals that would help break the impasse will have to come out of the Council and with its support.
Question: On the protection force or the lack of it, have you spoken to President Arafat about it? What was his response? Are you in touch with the leaders of the region quite regularly?
The Secretary-General: I am in touch with the leaders of the region quite regularly. In addition to discussing the violence and the need to bring it down, we have also discussed the question of the fact-finding committee that should be established by President Clinton in consultation with me to get out the facts and to try to explain what was it that got us into this situation, that provoked the violence, and what steps we can take to ensure that it is not repeated in the future. Of course, we have also discussed the trips that the two [President Arafat and Prime Minister Barak] are going to make to Washington.
I have not talked to President Arafat since my interview yesterday, which was part of your question that I did not answer. But we expect to meet and have arranged to meet in Doha, so I will have the chance to speak to him there. I will be away from the States when he comes later on this week, but we will have a chance to meet in Doha.
Question: When is the fact-finding happening?
The Secretary-General: I hope it will be announced fairly shortly by Washington, because under the agreement, President Clinton was to set it up and lots of work has been done on it. I expect that it will be announced shortly.
Question: Do you have any expectations from the meetings this week that President Clinton is holding with both Prime Minister Barak and President Arafat? What would you like to see come out of it?
The Secretary-General: I think the fact that both of them are coming is a good sign. The fact that we are talking is positive and I hope that they will focus on what further steps can be taken to end the violence, to calm the situation and eventually open the way to dialogue and the resumption of the peace process.
Question: In your discussions with the Arab leaders, will you seek to better define the role of the United Nations in the forthcoming months, as relates to the peace process?
The Secretary-General: Obviously, we will discuss the peace process and the way forward. Whether I will get into details of the United Nations role with the leaders, I really can't say at this stage. But I think what you are getting at is the sort of discussions that have been floating around that the format of the peace process may have to be modified slightly. I know that this is the wish of Chairman Arafat and also quite a few of the Arab countries, but the mediator, which is the US and others, as well as the parties, will also have a word to say about this.
[The Secretary-General departed.]
New York, 2 November 2000
The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister of Israel, Mr. Shlomo Ben-Ami, met this morning and reviewed the Middle East peace process. They agreed on the need to secure the full implementation of the Sharm el-Sheikh understandings. They also emphasized the need to restore calm and create the right atmosphere for the resumption of peace negotiations. In this regard, they were encouraged by the recent agreement between former Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Chairman Yasser Arafat.
In view of the bomb attack earlier today in Jerusalem, the Secretary-General reiterates in the strongest possible terms his condemnation of terrorism from whatever quarter and other violence affecting civilians. He strongly believes that those who oppose peace by using such means should not deter the parties from making every effort to return to the negotiating table.
New York, 31 October 2000
The Secretary-General is increasingly concerned at the continuing wave of violence in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and
Gaza. He is dismayed by the ongoing loss of innocent lives.
The Secretary-General believes that a full and immediate implementation of the understandings reached at the Sharm el-Sheikh
Summit is the only way to break the current cycle of violence and to stabilize the situation. He calls on both sides to honour
their commitments under this agreement and to exercise maximum restraint.
For his part, the Secretary-General continues to follow developments closely. He remains in close contact with the participants
at the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit and with other international leaders. His good offices remain at the disposal of the parties.
Comments to the press, outside the Security Council, 20 October 2000 (unofficial transcript)
SG: Good Afternoon ladies and gentlemen, I've just come out of the Council discussions, and I understand you may want to ask me one or two questions.
Q: Secretary-General can you share with us what you told the Council, the basic message you gave them.
SG: Basically I told the Council about my own efforts in the region and the outcome of the Summit at Sharm el-Sheikh, and the need for all parties to implement it in good faith. Even though there may be aspects of the agreement that one or the other may not like, but we have to try to implement it in it's entirety, and of course I indicated that I will work with President Clinton in setting up the Commission that will look at the fact-finding body that will look into what happened, why we got to where we were and how we can take steps to prevent recurrence in the future.
Of, course this afternoon I will also brief the General Assembly on the efforts and the agreement in Sharm and the need for all of us to support it. It's only a beginning. We have heavy lifting ahead of us and it can only work if all the parties implement it in good faith.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, in this last week you said the situation was delicate and fluid. Also within that same day US Representative Holbrooke said that it was the most dangerous day in the Middle East in 20 years. How would you characterise what's going on there now, considering a lot of the violence is not abated.
SG: I think the violence has abated, I mean there is some violence going on but not to the same degree and the same level. What I will say is that the tensions are still high. Some aspects of the Sharm agreement have been implemented and steps have been taken but we are nowhere near the level where I would say it is satisfactory. So I think the next 48 to 72 hours is going to be crucial and I hope the parties will stick with the agreement and continue to implement it with the facilitation of the United States.
Q: What effect do you think the resolution of the General Assembly will have on the situation in the Middle East? Using your own expression, will the words in the resolution inflame or soothe the situation?
SG: I think it depends on the final text. I understand the parties are working on it, working on the resolution. Many amendments are being introduced and I do not know what the final text will be. I hope it will be a message that will be conciliatory, a message that will support Sharm, a message that will encourage the parties to implement the agreement, a message that will urge the international community, working with the two parties, to find a final comprehensive and a just and peaceful solution. If it is that kind of a message I think it will be helpful.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva last night passed a resolution creating another human rights enquiry calling on Mary Robinson and about six special rapporteurs to travel to the Occupied Territories. Is this a move that you think is helpful or unhelpful and might provide a sort of provocative atmosphere now, and are you concerned that the relationship between the UN and Israel is returning to a somewhat difficult and perhaps more hostile relationship at a time when it had been improving?
SG: No, I think the relationship between Israeli and the United Nations has been a difficult one. It's not always been as smooth as one would have liked. I think in recent months and recent years we have seen a certain improvement and I personally have been able to work with both parties in an even-handed manner. I think it is essential that I continue to do that and as an Organization we should be seen as an entity that tries to help move the process forward, that tries to work with the parties to find a just and comprehensive peace in the region. There is a Commission, or fact-finding mission, that was set up at Sharm and of course the [Security] Council itself had asked for that Commission to be set up. What came out of Sharm is something that both parties agreed to and I will be working with President Clinton in setting up that fact-finding body.
The Geneva resolution is something that is outside of what we are doing here. It was done by the Human Rights Commission, which is a body of member states, and they took that decision. I have not seen any official reaction from the Israeli authorities and therefore I do not know what their reaction to the Geneva decision will be. Obviously, for the moment, I am focussing on what was agreed at Sharm, and I will be working with the President [Clinton] in setting up that Commission and sending them in, in the expectation that both sides will cooperate so that we will find out what happened, how we got to where we are and how we draw lessons for the future to ensure it is not repeated.
Q: Israel indicated already last night that they weren't going to cooperate with the Commission in Geneva. I wanted to ask you, to what do you attribute the fact that you had an unusually high profile and were probably the first Secretary-General in many, many years that was accepted by both sides, Israel specifically?
SG: That's a difficult question to answer, and I am not sure if it is a question for me to answer. Let me say that I have tried to work very hard and even- handedly with the parties in search for peace. I think our efforts in southern Lebanon, where we drew the "blue line" defined the conditions for Israeli withdrawal, and encouraged both parties to work with us and respect the "blue line" was an important factor.
I think for the first time in many years Israel did work with us in implementing a UN resolution, and I think in the process perhaps they discovered that the UN can work professionally, can be even-handed and work with parties in implementing resolutions of the Security Council. I suspect that exercise introduced a shift in the region and a shift in the expectations of the United Nations in the region. Thank you.
Press encounter upon entering UNHQ, 19 October 2000 (unofficial transcript)
Q: You remember us? Welcome back.SG: Thank you. You look familiar, vaguely, vaguely familiar. I am happy to be back.
Q: You had asked for both sides to refrain in the rhetoric. Yet, yesterday, as you know, we started out with the General Assembly Session and it was far from conciliatory. What are your thoughts as the GA continues its debate and its consideration of the resolution?
SG: Well, I've just got back and I'll be seeing some of the players and I will talk to the President of the Council. We spoke from Paris yesterday on this issue and I think, regardless of what was said yesterday, or maybe said today or tomorrow, I think my call for restraint, my call for people to use a language and the words they use is absolutely important, because language can also be violence, and it is not enough to still the guns. We have to calm the situation and I have appealed to the leaders and the people in the region to do that and I think we all have the responsibility to do (inaudible). I think it is legitimate for the Security Council and the General Assembly to be concerned with what is going on in the region and I am glad that they are engaged, but we should all take the necessary steps and pool our collective effort to calm the situation - and I hope this is what will happen.
Q: Where is this going after Sharm el-Sheikh? I mean there is no room for talking any more - where is it after spending so many days with all the players here in person, on the phone; what is your sense of where we're going?
SG: Well I think Sharm el-Sheikh was a new beginning, it was a first step. The real test is in implementation. And I think they had 48-72 hours to demonstrate their seriousness in implementing the agreement. And I think between now and tomorrow evening will be a crucial period. And I think the agreement also did call for resumption of dialogue and the talks within two weeks - that they will assess within two weeks if they should come together for the talks. And I hope the situation will be sufficiently calm for them to do that. Whether we like it or not, in the end there has to be peace, they have to talk to each other, they have to live together; they are condemned to be neighbours. And so I think the only way is peace. Without peace, there can be no security and we really need to do whatever we can to bring the parties back to talks. But the first thing is to curb the violence and the killings and save the people from the tragedy they have lived through the past three weeks.
Q: Does the General Assembly vote accomplish anything in (inaudible) tomorrow condemning Israel?
SG: I really have to assess the situation now that I have come - I really have been away from it for a while - I don't know enough about what is going on to be able to answer this question, but perhaps in another 24 hours I will be ready.
17 October 2000, Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt - on conclusion of Middle East SummitI am relieved and thankful that here today in Sharm-El-Sheikh Israeli and Palestinian leaders, under the tireless chairmanship of Presidents Mubarak and Clinton, have stepped back from the abyss and renewed their commitment to resolve their differences by peaceful means.
The Sharm-El-Sheikh Summit has produced agreement in three vital areas: on security cooperation; on renewing the peace process; and on a committee of fact-finding to inquire into recent tragic events and how to prevent their recurrence. It has not been easy. Feelings run high on both sides. Mutual mistrust is deep. There are wounds in the families and communities concerned that may take a generation to heal.
But we must move forward, painful though it is, so that the children and youth of today - angry and frustrated as they are - can have a better world to live in. One of the lessons of the past few days is that there can be no lasting security without lasting peace. That is why we need to look beyond the violence and bitterness, the pain and the hurt, beyond even the outcome of today's summit, to a future in which Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in a just and lasting peace.
Silencing the guns, ending the violence, is a real achievement. But language can be violence too. I also appeal to the leadership on both sides, to all Israelis and Palestinians, and to the wider international community to weigh their words carefully. For words can inflame or soothe, and everyone needs a restoration of calm and quiet so as to create the best possible atmosphere for a resumption of peace talks.
Comments to the press following his meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, 15 October 2000 (unofficial transcript)(The Secretary-General was accompanied by Egyptian Foreign Minister Amre Moussa.)
Moussa: The President received the Secretary-General. A thorough discussion took place concerning the conference preparation and the importance of having that conference, if held, succeed. It should succeed. The situation is very, very serious. It's still very tense in the occupied territories. And [they discussed] the point the President stressed, the point on withdrawal, that the Israeli forces should withdraw from the territories, from inside, and end the blockade around the cities. This is very important in order to defuse the situation. This is the goal of the conference and [inaudible].
SG: I think the Foreign Minister has given you a clear indication of what I discussed with the President, but since we don't have too much time, maybe we should take one or two questions, and thank you very much for your patience.
Q: We haven't heard of any role of the Security Council; it's always crippled with vetoes.
SG: I think the Security Council has discussed this issue and passed Resolution 1323 on the developments in the region. But I think they also realise that important developments were taking place on the ground. There were attempts to bring the parties together, and I'm happy to say that that has succeeded. So they did not want to do anything that will complicate the delicate efforts that were going on, on the ground. But they have passed resolutions, they have been seized of the matter and they're following it very, very closely.
Q: Mr. Foreign Minister, could I ask you a question please? When you saw the demonstrations outside the mosque on Friday, Al-Azhar, you saw the demonstrations on television in the Gulf States, in Amman. Did that worry you about political stability in the region? You've seen it in your country; you've seen it all around the region.
Moussa: Indeed, it should worry us that the region is protesting and is in a state of anger, because of what took place in the Palestinian occupied territories. We are also angry, not only the people in the streets or in the mosques, but we officials, we are all angry. We cannot accept what took place. That is why, in our invitation to have the conference, the conference has one goal to achieve. It's to go back to normalcy, which means, by necessity, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Palestinian towns and cities and from around those Palestinian territories, because we believe that moving the Israeli army into those territories is a clear-cut violation of all the agreements that have been arrived at in the last few years within the activities of the peace process. This is a cardinal point.
Q: But does it threaten political stability in moderate states like Egypt?
Moussa: I should say that the Israeli actions indeed threaten the stability in the whole region and threaten the prospects of a just peace, of a lasting peace, and the possibilities of the peace process itself succeeding, let alone achieving meaningful results.
SG: If I may add something to that. I think that it is extremely urgent that we take every step to bring the crisis under control, stop the violence and bring the situation to normalcy and hopefully get a dialogue going and get the parties talking. This crisis is not limited to the Palestinian territories and Israel. As you heard the Foreign Minister, it is a crisis that has affected this region. But it is broader than that. We've seen demonstrations outside this region, in Indonesia, even in the United States. It is going to affect global economic growth. Oil prices have hit their highest level in ten years. It is going to affect all countries, rich and poor. We've all seen what is happening in stock markets around the world. This is an urgent and major crisis for all of us. And that is why I, as Secretary-General of the United Nations, have devoted so much time trying to work with President Mubarak and President [Bill] Clinton to get this conference going, so that we can do whatever we can to bring the situation under control, to stop the killing.
I've seen so many innocent civilians dying. And as I said, I spent a week in the region. I've walked around the place. I've talked to Israelis and Palestinians. I've looked at the fear, the anxiety, the wariness in their eyes and they don't want this. This situation is not good for Israel, it's not good for Palestine, it's not good for the region and it has to stop. And we are going to do our best to succeed.
Comments to the press before meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, 15 October 2000 (unofficial transcript)Q: Mr. Secretary-General, could you just tell us how you think the summit will help?
SG: I think we've all seen the suffering, the tragedy, the killings and what is going on in the region. And I think we have a grave responsibility to do all we can to bring the violence to an end, to try and stabilise the situation and eventually get dialogue and the peace process going. I would like to thank President [Bill] Clinton for sponsoring this summit and President Mubarak for hosting it. I think they're doing the region and the world a great favour. And we will all work very hard to attain our objective.
Q: Can you afford to fail here?
SG: I don't think it's a choice. We don't have that option.
Comments following a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Amre Moussa, Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, 14 October 2000 (unofficial transcript)SG: I think we're going to try and organise the summit as quickly as possible. But as you know, those leading the mediation and the negotiations are the Americans with President [Bill] Clinton personally engaged. And I'm extremely happy that President [Hosni] Mubarak has agreed to host this conference and bring everybody here for us to try and bring the violence to an end and bring the crisis under control.
I think it's a unique opportunity; it's a grave responsibility and I hope we will succeed. We should succeed. We cannot afford to fail. As to when the summit would be, I think it is going to be held as soon as possible, but we shouldn't forget that not everybody is in the region. And President Clinton and his team have to organize themselves and come across the Atlantic. So the meeting probably will be Monday morning.
Q: What is on the agenda of the summit?
SG: It's not a press conference.
Comments to the press upon leaving the King David Hotel, Jerusalem, 14 October 2000 (unofficial transcript)Q: Can you say where we are in terms of this summit? Is it going to happen?
SG: It is going to happen. I had a conversation with Chairman [Yasser] Arafat this morning at 10:05, and he has agreed to come and he will be there. And I'm leaving President [Bill] Clinton and President [Hosni] Mubarak to work out the details. And so, we're going to have a summit very shortly.
Q: Do you think you can get the two sides to agree to a truce, or can you move the peace process itself forward?
SG: I think at the minimum, as I said last night, it is not unusual in situations like this to have a cease-fire, the cessation of hostilities, for the period leading in to the summit, and during the summit, and then try to make it a permanent cease-fire and turn it around. And I have asked both sides to stop firing [in the period] now up to the summit. And [at] the summit, one of the things we'll try to concretise will be a cease-fire and other issues that President Clinton has on the table.
Q: Given the animosity on both sides now, do you really think that's possible?
SG: We shall find out. I think usually you make peace not with friends, but with enemies, and sooner or later you have to talk. And I think the parties will need to sit together to talk, and I'm quite hopeful we will be able to stop the killing.
I've been here for about a week. As I walk around the streets, I've looked in to the eyes of people, Israelis, Palestinians, and I see a pain, the anxiety, the suffering. They want to end this thing, they want to live in peace, and I hope we can bring this to an end. Whatever little contribution we can make, we are determined to do that.
Q: Sir, two questions. Were there any preconditions for this summit to take place, on any side? And critics say this could be really bad if it doesn't pan out, if there is a flop.
SG: There were no preconditions. There were suggestions and certain demands, but we did discuss it with the parties. And there are no conditions. The only condition is what I have indicated, we should stop the firing, we should stop shooting, to give peace a chance.
You talk of a flop, implying one is taking a risk. When so many lives are at risk, when so much killing is going on, when there is so much chaos and sufferings, isn't risk worth it? And if we don't take the risk of coming to the conference, what do we do? Let it continue? Thank you.
Press encounter after meeting with Yasser Arafat, President of the Palestinian Authority, Gaza City, 13 October 2000 (unofficial transcript)
(Nabil Sha'ath, President Arafat's Minister of Planning, addressed the press first)
Nabil Sha'ath: His Excellency the Secretary-General, Mr. Annan, had a very fruitful meeting with President Arafat. I think it was fundamental that this meeting looked into this question of ending this confrontation and of making it possible for a summit to succeed.
I would like to say that President Arafat and the Palestinian leadership and people value very much the efforts made by His Excellency the Secretary-General and will be extremely happy to see him, if the summit succeeds, participate in that summit, representing the United Nations, the international community, and international legality.
(A Palestinian journalist asked for the answer in Arabic, which was then given)
SG: Thank you very much. Let me say that I have had a very, very useful meeting with President Arafat, and I think we have moved forward. We have the chance to cover a whole range of issues - the tragedy of his people, his pain, and the situation in which they find themselves. He talked to me about shortages. Earlier, they had spoken to me about shortages of medical supplies. I spoke to Prime Minister Barak and [Acting] Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami and they have assured me that they will lift the blockade for medication to come in. I have been told that there are short supplies of food and other items, which I will be raising. I wasn't aware of that until I got here.
But I think what is important is that we have a chance, we have a chance in the next 48 to 72 hours to sit around the table to try and deal with this situation, to try and end the violence and bring the crisis under control.
The whole world will be focussed on that summit. They have been following events here, and they are all pained by the deaths, the injuries, the chaos and the suffering of the people and the wounded ones - both Israelis and Palestinians.
I have looked at the faces and at the eyes of the people since I came here - the Palestinians and the Israelis - the anxiety, the concern on their faces. And we have an obligation to bring this to an end. We can either continue this conflict. We can either continue the shooting, which is no way to solve the problem. We have the chance to go to Egypt and resolve it.
And all the other leaders who have been invited to the conference have accepted to come. Tonight, I think we have made progress. And it is my own conviction and feeling that President Arafat has indicated he is in principle in agreement. He has to have some additional consultations with his leadership. He will be calling me tonight with his decision. I firmly believe that that decision will be positive and we will see him at that summit. And we will all have an opportunity to settle this issue.
And I want to thank all the leaders who have devoted so much attention to this, particularly President Mubarak, who is going to host this conference, and President Clinton who has been on the phone with me constantly, King Abdullah [of Jordan], Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, and many others. And of course today you all read the strong statement from the European Union - 15 nations in Europe speaking as one - saying we want to see this end, we want to see normality returned, we want to see the killing stop, we want to save the lives of Palestinians and Israelis who are caught in this situation.
And I am looking forward to that summit and I think we should be able to make progress there.
Q: Is there a specific date for the summit? And who is going to attend that summit?
SG: I expect the summit to take place in the next 48 hours. On the participation, President Clinton and President Mubarak are discussing it, but I think the participation will be to the satisfaction of everyone.
Q: Do you consider East Jerusalem and the Shebaa area occupied areas by the Israelis?
SG: The Security Council has resolutions which deal with that - 242 and 338 - which deal with land for peace, and has made its position and has made statements in the past which are clear.
I was very much involved in the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and we did draw a Blue Line - a blue line which is to be respected by both parties and I think it has generally been respected. We have had incidents on the border, there have been violations, which should not be tolerated. And I have appealed to both parties to respect that blue line. (A journalist then asked a question of Mr. Sha'ath in Arabic, which he answered in Arabic) The Secretary-General who had the question and answer interpreted for him then commented.
SG: I would want to say that as is usual in these situations, when talks are going on in an attempt to settle a conflict like this, it is not unusual that a cessation of hostilities and cease fires are arranged during the period leading up to the summit, during the summit, so that at the summit one can try and firm it up and make it permanent. And I hope we will succeed in this. And I am quite confident that this cease fire can be achieved and the summit can go ahead and that we will make it permanent at the table. At the summit, obviously, there are lots of grievances on the Palestinian side, and the Israelis would also have their grievances to put on the table. All issues will be on the table, and the idea of the summit is to resolve these issues, resolve them quickly, so that the situation that prevails in this territory, in this area, can be changed.
Q: The Palestinians talk about not just a cease fire, but they claim, and probably correctly, that they are under siege. They can't travel between towns, the border crossings are closed - when you talk about a cease fire - are you talking about a lifting of these restrictions or just a cessation of the fighting?
SG: First of all, I have indicated that ... at the summit all issues will be on the table, including the issues you've mentioned. But the minimum we need is a cessation of hostilities and cease fire for one to go to the table and talk. And I think that should be done and I think it is going to be done.
Press encounter on entering King David Hotel, Jerusalem, 13 October 2000
Q: There have been reports today that there will be a summit this weekend in Egypt to try to end the violence and bring the crisis here under control. What have you heard about that and do you think it might happen?
SG: Yes, I do think there could be a summit. As you know, I've been in constant contact with the leaders involved, and there is a general readiness to meet. We are now waiting for final word from President Arafat.
I've spoken with him twice today, and my sense is that he will attend, since he is as determined as all of us to end the chaos, stop the killing and save the people from further suffering.
Press encounter by the Secretary-General of the United Nations after his meeting with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, Beirut, 12 October 2000
SG: Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen,
Once again I come to Beirut and the region at a critical time. As all of you know I spent the last few days in the occupied Palestinian territories and in Jerusalem trying to work with Prime Minister Barak and President Arafat to calm down the violence, to stop the violence. I think there has been far too many needless deaths and we need to do whatever we can to stop it. I don't think anyone is going to win this game. Israelis are losers, Palestinians are losers, we are all losers, and in the region as well as the world. And we need to do whatever we can to bring the bloodshed to the end. I had the opportunity in Israel and in Gaza to offer my condolences and deep sympathy to the families of those who have lost their loved ones and I hope our efforts will succeed. I know that there have been some nasty incidents on the ground this morning. I am in constant touch and I expect to go back this afternoon. In the meantime I hope that the security chiefs will meet in the region. I understand that Mr. [George] Tenet, the head of CIA [Central Intelligence Agency], has joined them and so we hope that they will be able, sitting together, to devise means of stopping this killing. You are also aware that with the abduction of the three soldiers in the South, that has also been an issue very much in the headlines. I am also aware of the 19 Lebanese prisoners who have been in Israeli jails for quite some time. This is an issue I see your government notes I have taken up with the Israeli authorities and we are pursuing that as well. I'll take your questions.
Q:(Translation from Arabic) What is the UN Secretary-General's position in this crisis, while he accuses Lebanon of violating Security Council Resolution 425, especially as there is a dispute regarding the implementation of this resolution and that the three Israeli soldiers were captured inside Lebanese territory?
SG: Let me say that I worked with your Government and the Government of Israel on the withdrawal from southern Lebanon. As part of that exercise we drew a Blue Line, the line of withdrawal, and requested both governments to respect the line and not to violate that line. The two governments wrote to me and to the Security Council, indicating that they had reservations, some reservations, with the line drawn but they will respect the Blue Line. And of course as part of that agreement, it was also agreed that the Shebaa Farms was not part of the UNIFIL area and the area that had to be vacated in compliance with 425. We have since then reported many Israeli violations whenever they cross a line, whether it's a truck or a lonely soldier, and you've always expected us to report violations. I made it clear from the beginning that we will report violations or will call it so regardless of who violated it. Our information is that those who picked up the three soldiers crossed the Blue Line and it is a violation. And just as when Israelis cross the Blue Line, I call it a violation. I think it is legitimate to indicate that it is a violation.
Q: Al-Hayat: President Assad said that the Shebaa Farms are Lebanese territories. Is it enough to say that Israel has to withdraw from this area?
SG: I think we have to base ourselves on the documents and the report to the Security Council and the exchange of letters I had with the two governments Lebanon and Israel, that led to the withdrawal of Israelis from the South. And I think in the report and in the understandings with the governments we indicated that Shebaa Farms for our purposes was in Syria and that it was covered by UNDOF not by UNIFIL. This does not exclude whatever arrangements Lebanon and Syria will make in the future as to the status of that particular territory. Now the withdrawal is done we've been grateful that it has been relatively quiet except for some stone-throwing that we are trying to bring under control. We are now trying to work with international donors to raise money for the reconstruction of the South, to develop the economy of the South and I hope the international community will give and give generously for this essential task because the people of the South need to be given the hope, the expectation that they can live peaceful and prosperous lives and I will continue to work with the Government of Lebanon for that.
Q: CNN: Can we get some reaction or confirmation by the Israeli army that four Israeli soldiers have been taken prisoners by Palestinian policemen in Ramallah, territory A within the past short period and how the issue of those Israelis in Palestinian hands and Israeli soldiers in Hizbullah hands. What do you think of this whole situation?
SG: I don't have the full report but I have got indication that something like that has happened and of course this doesn't facilitate my task, in fact it does complicate the issues we are trying to resolve. So now if that report proves to be correct we are dealing with several sets of prisoners, if you wish, or abducted individuals. You have the 19 Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails, which has been raised and we have been trying to work on. We then have the three Israeli soldiers who are in the hands of Hizbullah. And now you indicate there are four Israelis in the hands of Palestinians. All this complicates the work we are trying to do immensely but whilst it complicates it, I hope it does not mean that we will not be able to find our way out of this difficult and messy situation.
Q: Reuters Do you have any information about the three Israeli soldiers captured. Are they well and alive?
SG: None of my people have seen them yet and as far as I know, the International Red Cross has not seen them. I have made a request that access should be given to the international Red Cross or one of my representatives to see them, to be able to indicate that they are well and they're being well looked after. And I think that the Red Cross under its mandate has the right to visit individuals in those conditions without any conditions and I hope that request will be honored.
Q: Al-Jazira: Do you have any message from Mr. Barak to Lebanon or Hizbullah concerning the conditions of the negotiations for the detainees?
SG: I didn't bring any message.