Fifty-seventh General Assembly
Plenary
5th Meeting (PM)
VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ URGES WORLD LEADERS TO REAFFIRM
COMMITMENT TO ADDRESS ROOT CAUSE OF TERRORISM
China, Russian Federation Call for Creation
Of New International Security Architecture in Increasingly Interdependent World
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Statements
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AHMED MAHER EL SAYED, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Egypt, …
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He said the Palestinian people continued to suffer under an oppressive occupation that adhered to policies reminiscent of the ages of darkness and chaos. If Israel had a genuine desire for peace, it must desist from aggression against the Palestinian people and agree to withdraw from all Arab territories occupied in 1967 in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. Thus, the independent Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, could be established and join all the Arab States that had demonstrated their readiness to establish normal relations with Israel. The discussion on peace and security in the Middle East also related to the situation in Iraq, which must be dealt with in the context of the United Nations resolutions. He affirmed Egypt's rejection of inflicting military strikes against Iraq, which must, for its part, respect the legitimate international will.
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The persistence of volatile conflicts and the dangers of weapons of mass destruction from States, organizations or individuals made it incumbent upon all to address disarmament issues with more diligence. His country had repeatedly called for ridding the Middle East of all weapons of mass destruction, with nuclear weapons at their forefront, and to place all nuclear facilities in the region, without exception, under international supervision. The stability of the region would be achieved only when Israel acceded to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), as it was the only State in the region that had not done so.
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TANG JIAXUAN, Minister for Foreign Affairs of China, …
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… He called for political dialogue to address burning issues on the international agenda, namely, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the situation between India and Pakistan, and the matter of Iraq, in which the United Nations should play an important role.
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ÜKRÜ SİNA GÜREL, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey, …
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In the aftermath of 11 September, peace and stability in the Middle East had gained even more importance and urgency. Yet, the present outlook of the ongoing conflict did not leave much room for optimism because violence persisted, taking a huge toll on both sides.
BRIAN COWEN, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ireland, …
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He said conflict prevention was the central challenge facing the United Nations and agreed with the Secretary General’s identification of situations pertaining to Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, and India/Pakistan as the most serious threats to world peace. He urged Iraq to respect its obligations and implement in full and without preconditions all the Security Council resolutions addressed to it. In addition, international instruments and regimes to control the spread, and bring about the elimination, of weapons of mass destruction should be strengthened and fully implemented.
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GUILLERMO PEREZ-CADALSO ARIAS, Minister for Foreign Relations of Honduras, …
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Of grave concern at the present time was the situation in the Middle East, he said. He appealed to the men and women of the region to repudiate violence and to give their children a chance to experience peace. …
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Document Type: Press Release
Document Sources: General Assembly
Subject: Middle East situation, Palestine question
Publication Date: 13/09/2002