Speech of H.E. President
Yasser Arafat
President of the State
of Palestine
Chairman of the
ExecutiveCommittee
of the Palestine
Liberation Organization
President of the
Palestinian National Authority
At the summit of
The Millennium Assembly
of the United Nations
Messrs. Chairpersons,
I
am pleased and honored to participate today, as the representative of Palestine
and of the Palestinian people, in this great occasion, which is of special
importance for us. The beginning of the third millennium, which we celebrate
today, is marked by the birth of Jesus Christ two thousand years ago, in
Bethlehem, Palestine.
We
meet today in the vast space of the United Nations, to work for the enhancing
of its importance. The UN has been a contemporary of the question of Palestine
since its inception, and still remains responsible for shaping and achieving a
just solution to this issue. In addition, the international community, which
your Majesties and Excellencies, leaders of the world, represent, is still
tenaciously holding onto its global vision for the future, which we shall
elaborate together through this summit. This vision relies on the just principle
asserting the right of peoples under foreign occupation to self-determination.
This summit allows us to participate with you, contributing our modest share
and learning to improve this participation, through consistent hard work in
order to build a better world, with more prosperity and more justice in
economic conditions, and a more promising future for our planet in general.
On
this basis, Palestinian people everywhere look up to you from their homeland,
from the refugee camps, and from the Diaspora, sending out a collective cry,
from the depths of pain and lengthy suffering that has lasted for 52 years, and
goes on
This
takes place while we confront the Israeli attempts to Judaize Jerusalem, as
well as land confiscation, the building of illegal Israeli settlements, the
siege imposed upon Bethlehem, and the lack of honest and accurate
implementation of the agreements signed by Israel. Let this summit be the
beginning of the end of the greatest and most difficult refugee tragedy in the
world. May it be the beginning of the end of the historical oppression that
befell the Palestinian people, and signal a new chance for life for the
Palestinian people. May this summit prove to be a new beginning for all the
peoples of the Middle East, so that a just and comprehensive peace may reign
there. May it be a beacon of hope for the region, and especially for its
children and coming generations.
Messrs. Chairmen,
The
Palestinian people and their leadership have worked in earnest towards the
fulfillment of the promise to achieve the Peace of the Brave. We have made a
strategic decision committing ourselves to the peace process, offering
significant and painful concessions in order to arrive at a reasonable
compromise acceptable to both sides. We have accepted a Palestinian state on
less than a quarter of the historical territory of Palestine, as well as
numerous other ideas and suggestions pertaining to other issues related to our
rights. As for Holy Jerusalem, the cradle of Christianity, and the site of
Prophet Mohammed's ascension to Heaven, we have agreed to share the city, in
contrast to the attempts at monopolizing it, as a response to exclusivity and
rejection of our rights. At the same time we remain committed to our national
rights over East Jerusalem, capital of our state and shelter of our sacred
sites, as well as our rights on the Christian and Islamic holy sites,
maintaining that the city should be accessible to all, and open onto its
western side.
We
shall continue to do our utmost during the coming short period of time, in
order to arrive at a final settlement between Palestine and Israel, and we
invite the Israeli government to do likewise. We shall cooperate fully with the
two sponsors of the peace process, the United States and the Russian
Federation, as well as the Arab and European countries, the Islamic nations,
China, Japan, countries of the non-aligned movement, and our other
friends. We thank them all for the efforts they have exerted on all levels, and
in the Camp David summit. We thank President Clinton for his good offices, and
we are grateful for what is happening now in cooperation with President
Mubarak, President Chirac, and with Arab and international leaders.
Messrs. Chairpersons,
Your Majesties, Your Excellencies,
The
sides participating in the peace process have agreed to reach a final
settlement by September 13 th of
the current year. The five-year interim period already expired
on May 4th, 1999. World leaders then requested that we postpone
any decision relating to a declaration of statehood till after the Israeli
elections. These facts oblige us to take certain steps to safeguard the rights
of our people, acting in accordance with the decisions taken by our leadership
and our legal institutions, concerning the need to materialize the existence of
the state of Palestine by that September date. At the same time, some of our
friends consider that reaching a final settlement requires allowing an
additional chance for these efforts to succeed, though this may prove the
ultimate chance for the present peace process. The Palestinian Central Council
will determine this matter within the next few days, taking into account UN
resolutions and our people right to self- determination through the
establishment of its independent state. We shall be cooperating with the UN and
the other parties involved at present in the 55 th session of the General Assembly. We are hopeful
that we can obtain the collective positive support of the members of the
Council and of the General Assembly for our cause .
Messrs. Chairpersons,
Your Majesties and Excellencies,
I
would like sincerely to express my heartfelt thanks to you all and to the
Secretary-General, on behalf of the Palestinian and Arab people, for your
support and solidarity with us, a crucial factor for us as we are approaching
the moment of freedom, justice and peace.
May peace be upon you all