Joint Russian-Egyptian statement – Letter from Russia and Egypt

GENERAL ASSEMBLY SECURITY COUNCIL

Fifty-first session Fifty-first year

Item 33 of the provisional agenda*

THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Letter dated 22 July 1996 from the Permanent Representatives

of Egypt and the Russian Federation to the United Nations

addressed to the Secretary-General

We have the honour to transmit to you herewith the text of a joint Russian-Egyptian statement on the Middle East adopted during the visit of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Mr. Amre Moussa, to Moscow on 16 July 1996 (see annex).

We should be grateful if you would have the text of this letter and its annex circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under item 33 of the provisional agenda, and of the Security Council.

(Signed) S. V. LAVROV                            (Signed) Nabil ELARABY

          Ambassador                                        Ambassador

   Permanent Representative                         Permanent Representative

  of the Russian Federation                       of the Arab Republic of Egypt

    to the United Nations                             to the United Nations

______________________

* A/51/150.

ANNEX

Joint Russian-Egyptian Statement on the Middle East,

adopted in Moscow on 16 July 1996

The Russian Federation, as a co-sponsor of the Middle East peace process, and Egypt, as its initiator, as one of the main regional participants and as Chairman of the Arab Summit in Cairo, call upon all parties in the talks, particularly Israel, to intensify their efforts to overcome the obstacles to progress towards reaching an Arab-Israeli settlement.

The Russian Federation and Egypt reaffirm their commitment to achieving a comprehensive and just peace in the Middle East on the basis of the implementation of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978) and the principle of "land for peace".  They express their confidence that the Madrid Conference and the subsequent development of the peace process have created a solid and reliable basis for progress towards a Middle East settlement; this basis should not be subject to revision.  In this connection, they welcome the relevant positions adopted at the Arab Summit in Cairo and the summit of the "group of eight" in Lyon.

The Russian Federation and Egypt call for the full implementation of the Arab-Israeli agreements that were reached earlier and for progress towards a definitive peace settlement on the Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese tracks.  All parties should, on the basis of the aforementioned principles, take a constructive approach in the interest of resuming the talks on all of these tracks and ensuring that the talks produce results.

The Russian Federation and Egypt declare their full support for the continuation of the Middle East peace process with a view to achieving a comprehensive and just Arab-Israeli settlement and peace.

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96-18715 (E)   250796  250796