HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2018
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GAZA
In response to questions this morning about the Special Coordinator of the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, the Deputy Spokesman said that the UN Secretary-General fully supports the efforts of Special Coordinator Mladenov, who has been working tirelessly with all concerned parties, particularly with the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Israel to change the dynamics in Gaza – to avoid escalation, to support intra-Palestinian reconciliation and to address all humanitarian issues.
The Secretary-General hopes that relieving the humanitarian pressure in Gaza will reduce the tensions that risk a devastating armed conflict in Gaza and create space for the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to engage seriously with Egypt on reconciliation and the implementation of the 12 October 2017 Cairo Agreement. However, any humanitarian response to Gaza’s problems can only be temporary and limited in scope. What is needed is a political breakthrough that will restore intra-Palestinian unity under a single, legitimate national authority; a lifting of the closures in line with Security Council resolution 1860; and, ultimately, progress towards advancing a negotiated two-state solution based on relevant UN resolutions and previous agreements.
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Document Sources: Secretary-General, United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI), United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO)
Subject: Gaza Strip, Governance, Negotiations and agreements, Peace proposals and efforts, Reconciliation
Publication Date: 12/10/2018
URL source: http://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight