Nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East – First Cttee debate – Verbatim record (excerpts)

Official Records

General Assembly

Fifty-fifth session

First Committee

14th meeting

Friday, 13 October 2000, 3 p.m.

New York

President:  Mr. U Mya Than…………………….(Myanmar)

The meeting was called to order at 3.15 p.m.

Agenda items 65 to 81 (continued)

General debate on all disarmament and international security items

The Chairman: First of all, we will hear statements by any delegation wishing to exercise the right of reply.

I now give the floor to the representative of Israel to exercise the right of reply for the second time.

Mr. Issacharoff (Israel): I will not take up very much of the Committee’s valuable time. I just want to make some very brief comments regarding the statement made this morning by the Syrian delegation.

First of all, I am very well informed of my Government’s policies and I know what proposals were made to President Al-Assad by President Clinton at Geneva. Those proposals were far-reaching and designed to reach peace with Syria. The fact that they were rejected by Syria is a matter of public record, so I am not sure what the Syrian representative is arguing with me about.

Secondly, if the Syrian representative really said that they have a strategic decision for peace, I would definitely urge him to make peace with Israel. We always respond eagerly to such offers.

The last point is with regard to the incidents in the territories. I really do think that the Syrians should let the Palestinians speak for themselves. I have no trouble talking about those events, but I am not sure that this is the right time and place. But I do find it particularly objectionable to receive lectures from the Syrian representative on those issues the day after three of our soldiers were so brutally murdered at Ramallah. I think there are times when silence would, at the very least, be of better service to the Syrians.

/…

The meeting rose at 3.25 p.m.