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

Official Records

General Assembly
Sixtieth session
19th plenary meeting
Wednesday, 21 September 2005, 3 p.m. 
New York

    The meeting was called to order at 3.08 p.m.

Agenda item 9 (continued)

General debate 

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  The Acting President: I now call on His Excellency Mr. Carlos Morales Troncoso, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic.

  Mr. Morales Troncoso (Dominican Republic) (spoke in Spanish ): …

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  On the subject of peace, security and dialogue, we want to comment on two items that are very high on the international political agenda. First, the progress made in the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority.

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The Acting President : I now call on His Excellency Mr. Youssouf Ouedraogo, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso.

 Mr. Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso) (spoke in French ): …

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 … In the Middle East, the struggle for survival is the daily battle of the Palestinian people. It is our conviction that only the strict implementation of the Road Map will make peace possible in that sorely tried region.

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  The Acting President : I now call on His Excellency Mr. Michael Frendo, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Malta.

  Mr. Frendo (Malta): …

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  Malta welcomes the recent evolution of the situation in Palestine, marked by Israel’s disengagement from the occupied territories in Gaza and parts of the West Bank. We urge the parties concerned to maintain the momentum for peace that has been created. We acknowledge and salute the bold and tough decisions taken by both the Israeli and the Palestinian leadership, which are making this development possible. We have a clear sense of the complexities and sensitivities involved for both sides in pursuing their respective actions.

    Together with our partners in the European Union, Malta wishes to encourage this latest development as a path towards the full resumption of the Middle East peace process. This calls for a continuing determination by both sides not to allow obstacles to stand in the way of their carrying out the next set of actions called for under the Quartet road map: Israel’s freezing of all settlement activity, and the cessation of all violent attacks by Palestinians against Israelis everywhere.

  We are convinced that the ultimate objective — the existence of two neighbouring, viable sovereign States, living in peace and security, is within reach and certainly worth the effort and sacrifice involved at this stage.

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 The Acting President: I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Nguyen Dy Nien, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.

  Mr. Nguyen Dy Nien (Viet Nam): …

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  Viet Nam welcomes the recent positive developments in the Middle East peace process. It is our consistent policy to support the just cause of the Palestinian people in their struggle for their inalienable rights. In that connection, we welcome Israel’s withdrawal from resettlement areas in the Gaza Strip.

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 The Acting President: I now call on His Excellency Mr. Siosiua T’Utoikamanu, Minister for Finance of the Kingdom of Tonga.

 Mr. T’Utoikamanu (Tonga): …

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  The ever-changing landscape of the Middle East continues to present hopeful signs suggesting that an enduring peace is possible. Genuine gestures, like that involving Gaza, by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, offer a platform upon which mutual borders might be secured and upon which statehood might flourish.

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 The Acting President : I now call on His Excellency Mr. Raymond Ramazani Baya, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

 Mr. Ramazani Baya (Democratic Republic of the Congo) ( spoke in French ): …

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  The trials experienced by the Congolese people, and by all the peoples of the Great Lakes region, enable us to understand the aspirations for peace voiced by other peoples. We therefore support the peace process in the Middle East. The Democratic Republic of the Congo welcomes the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. We believe that that initiative is an important step forward, one that should be consolidated in order to ensure peace and to put an end to the cycle of violence in that region. The sensitivity and the complexity of that situation further emphasize the commitment made by the State of Israel and by the Palestinian Authority to reach a negotiated solution to the crisis in the Middle East.

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 The Acting President : I now call on His Excellency the Honourable Abdulkader Shareef, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania.

  Mr. Shareef (United Republic of Tanzania): …

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  I cannot conclude my statement without addressing the situation in the Middle East, and in particular the question of Palestine, which remains of great concern to my Government. There have been path-breaking developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to revive the road map and invigorate the initiatives of the Quartet. The new leadership of Mr. Mahmoud Abbas at the Palestinian Authority, the withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip and the coming elections in the occupied territories are injecting new dynamism and a positive direction into the peace process. But we must accept the reality that the people of Palestine have equal rights, not only to live in peace and security in full human dignity but also to establish their own independent State, coexisting side by side with the State of Israel. We should therefore do all we can to help secure the just and lasting peace that is the right of the Palestinian, Israeli and Arab peoples.

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  The meeting rose at 7.25 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.