Middle East situation/Palestine question – GA general debate – Verbatim record (excerpts)

Official Records

General Assembly
Sixty-third session

14th plenary meeting
Saturday, 27 September 2008, 3 p.m. 
New York

President: Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann …………………………………… (Nicaragua)

The meeting was called to order at 3.05 p.m.

Agenda item 8 (continued) 

General debate

 /…

  The President (spoke in Spanish ): I now call on His Excellency Mr. Abdelwaheb Abdallah, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tunisia.

 Mr. Abdallah (Tunisia) (spoke in Arabic ): …

/…

  In that context, while reaffirming Tunisia’s position in support of our Palestinian brothers and their just cause as a people, we renew our call to the international community, especially its most influential members and the Quartet, to increase their efforts to bring Israel to end its aggressive practices and settlement activities. We call on them to intensify their work to reinvigorate the peace effort and to facilitate the resumption of negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis on the basis of the relevant international terms of reference, the Arab Peace Initiative and the results of the Annapolis Conference, with the aim of achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian question.

  Such a solution would guarantee that the Palestinians regain their legitimate national rights and establish an independent Palestinian State on their national territory. It would also guarantee the withdrawal of Israel from all occupied Arab territories, including Syrian and Lebanese land. That solution would also provide security and stability for all the peoples of the region.

/…

  The President (spoke in Spanish ): I now call on Her Excellency Ms. Kinga Göncz, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Hungary.

 Ms. Göncz (Hungary): …

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  Hungary attaches great importance to the comprehensive process initiated at the Annapolis Conference, convened by the President of the United States of America, in order to settle the Middle East conflict. Since Annapolis, there have been regular meetings between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority. We hope that the peace process will lead to the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the normalization of Israeli-Arab relations.

/…

  The Acting President: I now call on His Excellency Mr. Mohlabi Tsekoa, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Relations of the Kingdom of Lesotho.

 Mr. Tsekoa (Lesotho): …

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… We further urge the Council to intervene more decisively on behalf of the people of Palestine and Western Sahara, who have, also for decades, been denied the right to self-determination.

 /…

  The Acting President : I now call on His Excellency Mr. Hassan Wirajuda, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.

 Mr. Wirajuda (Indonesia): …

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 There is also a new arms race. There is more military spending now than there was at the end of the cold war. Moreover, the conflicts and tensions of a year ago are still with us. The dream of establishing a Palestinian State by the end of this year has virtually crumbled. …

/…

 The Acting President: I now call on Her Excellency Ms. Dora Bakoyannis, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece.

  Ms. Bakoyannis (Greece) (spoke in French ): …

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 In the broader Middle East, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the root of most of the problems, and the region requires a comprehensive and lasting solution. I think that we all agree that the peace process relaunched last year at the Annapolis conference has the potential to achieve tangible results and merits the strong support of all of us.

/…

 The Acting President : I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Kofi Esaw, Minister of State, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Togo.

 Mr. Esaw (Togo) (spoke in French ): …

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  Along those lines, it must be recalled that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is at the core of the political and security problems in the Middle East, continues to be the focus of the highest concern for the international community. In order to promote peace and stability in that region, the international community must make a greater effort to find a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

  In that regard, Togo welcomes the ongoing dialogue between the parties and hopes that the various initiatives will lead to a comprehensive solution, based on the principle of two States, Israeli and Palestinian, living within secure and internationally recognized borders.

/…

 The meeting rose at 7.35 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.