Mideast situation/Palestine question – Guyana statement – Letter from Guyana

Letter dated 20 October 2000 from the Permanent Representative

of Guyana to the United Nations addressed

to the President of the General Assembly

I have the honour to request that the attached press release issued by the Government of Guyana be circulated among Member States as a document of the General Assembly under agenda item 40.

(Signed) S. R. Insanally

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

Annex to the letter dated 20 October 2000 from the

Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations

addressed to the President of the General Assembly

Situation in the Middle East

The situation in the Middle East, particularly in terms of Israeli-Palestinian relations, has deteriorated to such a point where, with increasing tension and violence, not only is the peace process seriously threatened but there is also now the serious risk of an escalation in the conflict.

In support of recent Security Council resolution 1322 (2000) of 7 October 2000, the Government of Guyana deplores the provocation carried out at Al-Haram Al-Sharif in Jerusalem on 28 September and subsequent violence there and throughout the territories occupied by Israel since 1967, which resulted in more than 80 Palestinian deaths. These tragic incidents should be fully investigated in order to avoid a recurrence. In this context, we wish to encourage all concerned parties, both within and outside the region, including the Secretary-General of the United Nations, to do their utmost to secure a reconciliation between the Israeli and Palestinian sides.

The Government of Guyana believes that the various resolutions which have been adopted by both the General Assembly and the Security Council in relation to the Palestinian question as well as the accords which have been reached directly between Israel and Palestine provide an ample framework for pursuing the search for agreement. We therefore call upon the parties involved to avoid further confrontation and return to the negotiating table with a view to finding a peaceful solution to the problems which separate them.

As a member of the United Nations and of its Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Guyana will not fail to work for the cause of peace and justice in the Middle East so that all peoples in the region may live within secure borders and thus be allowed to enjoy fully the fruits of peace and development.