Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip/Peace prospects – GA general debate – Verbatim record (excerpts)

Official Records

General Assembly
Sixtieth session
21st plenary meeting
Thursday, 22 September 2005, 3 p.m. 
New York

    The meeting was called to order at 3.10 p.m.

Agenda item 8 (continued)

General debate 

  The President : I call on His Excellency Mr. Abdurrahman Mohamed Shalghem, Secretary of the General People’s Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation of the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

 Mr. Shalghem (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic ): …

…

  The international community so far has failed to solve the Palestinian problem, although it is as old as the United Nations itself. In fact, the problem is getting worse. The Palestinian people have lived for over half a century either as refugees all over the world or subjected to an occupying Power, which has usurped its land and practiced against them the most horrible crimes, including the killing of children, women and the elderly. Their lands have been confiscated, their farms burned, their trees uprooted, their houses destroyed over their occupants, while houses are built for settlers coming from all over the world. Even though highly sophisticated weapons are being used against civilians, the Security Council stands unable to take concrete steps to stop such practices. This has encouraged the occupying Power to continue its aggression and crimes, heedless of the decisions of the international community.

  The suffering of the Palestinian people requires that urgent and firm action be taken by the international community to put an end to the Israeli aggression and provide a radical solution for the Palestinian question.

  We believe that the solution cannot be achieved by accepting a de facto situation or by merely adopting resolutions or unrealizable plans. It will happen through a radical solution that allows and guarantees the return of all Palestinian refugees to their lands and the establishment of a democratic State on the land of historical Palestine in which Jews and Arabs live side by side, enjoying full equality, similar to the South African model, where blacks and whites reconciled after decades of conflict and bloodshed. If such a solution is not realized, with the support of the international community, the suffering of the Palestinian people will continue, and the region will continue to witness tension and conflict without peace and security.

  The Israeli occupation forces must withdraw from all occupied Arab territories; the Golan Heights must be returned to Syrian sovereignty and the Shabaa farms to Lebanon.

…

  The Acting President : I now call on His Excellency Mr. Ferenc Somogyi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Hungary.

  Mr. Somogyi (Hungary): …

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  The Middle East conflict has wide-ranging implications on global peace and security, on the prospects of the world economy and, last but not least, on the fight against international terrorism. Hungary is of the firm view that the road map, based on the two-States principle, still gives us the best chance for reaching a just and lasting solution.

  The implementation of the Gaza disengagement plan by the Government of Israel has been a step of truly historic proportions. Thus, the Middle East peace process has been given a new lease on life, but its sustainability is subject to further consistent, bold measures by both sides. In order to maintain the momentum, Israel needs to return to the road map, while the Palestinian National Authority has to demonstrate its own commitment to the peace process by carrying out the long overdue internal reforms and, most importantly, by eradicating terrorism and taking the law and order situation under effective control.

…

  The Acting President : I now call on His Excellency Mr. Cheikh Gadio, Minister of State and Minister for Foreign Affairs and for Senegalese living abroad of the Republic of Senegal.

  Mr. Gadio (Senegal) (spoke in French ): …

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  As regards terrorism, the recent attacks on London and on Sharm el-Sheikh are painful reminders of the persistence of an evil that can only be eliminated through determined and decisive mobilization by the international community. This response is all the more timely since the terrorist hydra attacks the sanctity of life, defies all reason and undermines the foundations of the rights and freedoms of the individual. It is the view of Senegal that, quite frankly, there is no cause sufficiently just or sufficiently good to justify the use of terrorism and the massacre of women, children and innocent civilians.

  Last but not least, the Middle East continues to send us daily images of a seemingly endless tragedy for the Palestinian people. We note the reluctance of the occupying Power, Israel, to respect the spirit and the letter of the road map, which has been seen in the recent settlements established in “Greater Jerusalem”, accompanied by destruction of houses belonging to Palestinians and the refusal to give them authorization to reunite their families. And we see it once again in the Israeli plan to link East Jerusalem with the settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim in the West Bank.

  The international community must redouble its efforts and vigilance to put an end to the harsh actions against the Palestinians including the construction of the separation wall and the settlements, and take measures to enable both parties to work to conclude rapidly a mutually advantageous peace.

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  The Acting President : I now call on His Excellency Mr. Abdullah Alsaidi, chairman of the delegation of the Republic of Yemen.

  Mr. Alsaidi (Yemen) (spoke in Arabic ): …

…

  The Republic of Yemen is of the view that the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the Gaza Strip is a first step on a long path. We reaffirm our belief that this withdrawal is but a part of the road map that should be considered as an integrated comprehensive plan that must be implemented as a whole and not dealt with selectively.

  In this context, the international community should not be deceived into believing that Israel has made enormous sacrifices by withdrawing from territories occupied by force, or have any sympathy for Israeli settlers who were evacuated, as these settlements were built on land the settlers did not own. Israel should end its occupation of the West Bank, remove all settlements there, and demolish the separation wall in accordance with the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.

  The peace process is an indivisible whole. Real peace can only be achieved when all Arab rights have been recovered — first and foremost, the withdrawal of Israel from all occupied territories in Palestine, the Golan Heights and southern Lebanon to the borders of 4 June 1967, the creation of an independent Palestinian State on Palestinian national soil with its capital in Al-Quds Al-Sharif, and the just resolution of the refugee problem in accordance with General Assembly resolution 194 (III) of 1949. We ask the international Organization and the Quartet not to recognize nor accept any Israeli guarantees or promises that are designed to violate the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and its sovereignty and not to reward Israeli occupation that seeks to impose faits accomplis solutions.

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  The meeting rose at 7 p.m.

This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the interpretation of speeches delivered in the other languages. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room C-154A. Corrections will be issued after the end of the session in a consolidated corrigendum.