London Meeting on Supporting the Palestinian Authority – SecCo meeting – Verbatim record

Security Council

Fifty-ninth year

5136th meeting

Wednesday, 9 March 2005, 12.45 p.m.

New York 

Agenda

The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question

    The meeting was called to order at 12.45 p.m.

Adoption of the agenda 

  The agenda was adopted.

  The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question 

  The President : The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations.

  Following consultations among the members of the Security Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council.

    “The Security Council welcomes the conclusions of the London Meeting on supporting the Palestinian Authority, on 1 March. The Council supports the objectives of the London Meeting to help the Palestinian leadership strengthen the institutions needed for a viable and independent Palestinian State.

    “The Security Council hopes that the London Meeting will be part of the longer-term process of international support to the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority and a contribution to helping both sides implement the road map endorsed by the Security Council in resolution 1515 (2003) and agreed to by the parties as the path towards a lasting comprehensive negotiated settlement to the Middle East conflict, based on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 1397 (2002).

    “The Security Council stresses the crucial importance of security, good governance and development of the Palestinian economy. In this context, the Council welcomes President Abbas’s comprehensive plan presented at the London Meeting for strengthening the Palestinian Authority’s institutions in these three areas.

    “The Security Council stresses the key role of the international community in assisting the Palestinian Authority in taking forward this plan. The Council welcomes the international community’s commitments to respond to the plans of the Palestinian Authority by providing financial and political support. The Council recognizes the important role of the Quartet in international efforts aimed at providing assistance to the Palestinian Authority in the fields of security, economic development and governance.

    “The Security Council supports the proposals for follow-up to the London Meeting and looks forward to their early implementation.

    “The Security Council supports the Joint Statement of the Quartet issued following the meeting of the Quartet in the margins of the London Meeting, and looks forward to the Quartet’s active engagement over the forthcoming period, while recognizing also the important role of other interested parties.

    “The Security Council reiterates its call for full respect by the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority of understandings reached at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit on 8 February, in particular that all Palestinians will stop all acts of violence against all Israelis everywhere and that Israel will cease all its military activities against all Palestinians everywhere.

    “The Security Council reiterates its call on both Israel and the Palestinian Authority to ensure continued progress in the peace process towards full implementation of the road map in direct contact with the Quartet. It stresses the need for concerted and sustained action by the Palestinian Authority to fulfil its security-related commitments and welcomes in this context President Abbas’s commitment to exert every effort towards that end. The Council stresses also the need for Israel to implement its road map commitments.

    “The Security Council reiterates its demand for immediate cessation of all acts of violence, including all acts of terror, provocation, incitement and destruction.

      “The Security Council reiterates its commitment to the vision of two States, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.”

  This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2005/12.

  The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on the agenda.

    The meeting rose at 12.50 p.m.

This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the interpretation of speeches delivered in the other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council . 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.