Question of Palestine, Middle East situation – GA 66th session general debate – Verbatim record (excerpts)

Official Records

General Assembly 

Sixty-sixth session 

16th plenary meeting 

Thursday, 22 September 2011, 3 p.m. 

New York 

Address by Mr. Bronisław Komorowski, President of the Republic of Poland 

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 This also applies to solving very difficult problems in the relations between Israel and its neighbours, especially with the Palestinian Authority. I urge the United Nations and the Secretary-General to actively use this means of building trust and peace between peoples, cultures and different social groups who frequently, and for legitimate reasons, find themselves in a situation of conflict or even war. 

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Address by Mr. Mwai Kibaki, President of the Republic of Kenya 

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 Finally, I cannot conclude my statement today without once again restating Kenya’s position on the issue of Palestine. Kenya believes in the two-State solution where the territorial integrity of Palestine within the 1967 borders is upheld and the peace and security of Israel are both assured and guaranteed. It is therefore our hope that Palestine will be welcomed into the community of nations with full membership in the United Nations. 

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Address by Mr. Ollanta Humala Tasso, President of the Republic of Peru 

 The Acting President (spoke in French): The Assembly will now hear an address by the President of the Republic of Peru. 

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 Latin America is the most unequal region in the world. Its political class cannot say that the dream of those who established our independence and founded the republics of today, has come true. In most cases, values such as liberty, equality and fraternity were the banners of our founders. However, extreme interpretations of those values have led to a world of great confrontations, without really advancing liberty or equality. Let us now strengthen fraternity as a path to lasting peace. In that regard, I would like, from this rostrum, to take the opportunity to recognize the Palestinian State and its right to live in peace and harmony alongside other countries of the United Nations. 

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Address by Mr. Robert Mugabe, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe 

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 My country fully supports the right of the gallant people of Palestine to statehood and membership in the Organization. The United Nations must become credible by welcoming into its bosom all those whose right to attain sovereign independence and freedom from occupation and colonialism is legitimate. Let us all accept Palestine as a legitimate State and a Member of this body. …

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Address by Mr. Desiré Delano Bouterse, President of the Republic of Suriname 

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 Suriname reaffirms the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to an independent State of Palestine, as endorsed by the General Assembly in December 2010 (see resolution 65/202). Suriname has responded to the plight of the Palestinian people and has taken the decision to recognize Palestine as a sovereign State, worthy of becoming a full-fledged Member of this world Organization. 

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Address by Mr. Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of the Gabonese Republic 

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The issue of Palestine affects us all, so far-reaching are its implications for peace in the Middle East and throughout the world. It is important to stress that we all share the goal, which is the existence of two States, Palestine and Israel. On this question, I wish to express my desire, as I did here in this Hall last year and do this year with even greater hope, namely, to see soon a Palestinian State that exists in peace alongside Israel, within secure and recognized borders. The Israeli and Palestinian peoples, both friends of Gabon, aspire to live in peace and security. The peaceful future of these two peoples is essential for the future of the Middle East and for peace in the world. 

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Address by Mr. Joseph Kabila Kabange, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo 

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 The Democratic Republic of the Congo believes that the Israeli-Palestinian question should be a major concern for our universal Organization. The United Nations should unflaggingly continue its efforts to find an equitable solution that bears in mind the legitimate interests of two peoples, each with the right to live in peace and security. The Middle East cannot recover peace and stability without a fair and lasting settlement of this question.

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Address by Mr. Idriss Déby Itno, President of the Republic of Chad 

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 The question of Palestine has been outstanding for far too long, and its impact on regional and global security influence is felt daily. There is therefore an urgent need for an international consensus on the issue of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. We believe that the time has come to recognize a State of Palestine living side by side with the State of Israel. We must have the courage to move forward in this direction, which is essential in order to bring about peace between the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples. For that reason, I call on all peace- and justice-loving countries to commit themselves to that end. 

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 Address by Mr. Ivo Josipović, President of the Republic of Croatia 

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 Croatia shares the sense of urgency concerning the importance of securing an early resumption and conclusion of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, aimed at achieving a two-State solution. The current unprecedented and deep changes in the political landscape of the Middle East call for urgent and highly responsive action by all parties concerned. Mutual recognition — Israel’s recognition of a Palestinian State and Palestine’s recognition of the Jewish State — constitutes both the starting point and the desired outcome of peace negotiations. Failure to move forward on a two-State solution now may have unpredictable negative consequences, not only for Israel and Palestine, but for the whole international community. Given our recent experience of war and reconciliation, Croatia calls on the leaders of the parties concerned to shoulder their historic responsibility for the future of their peoples and for peace and stability in the Middle East. 

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Address by Ms. Laura Chinchilla Miranda, President of the Republic of Costa Rica 

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 We also hope that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will soon come to an end, with two sovereign and democratic States living in peaceful coexistence. 

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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 U-506. Corrections will be issued after the end of the session in a consolidated corrigendum.