Mideast situation – GA debate – Verbatim record

President: Razali Ismail……………………………………(Malaysia)

The meeting was called to order at 3.10 p.m.

/…

Agenda item 21 (continued)

Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations, including special economic assistance

(b) Special economic assistance to individual countries or regions

Reports of the Secretary-General (A/51/315, A/51/353 and A/51/528)

Draft resolutions (A/51/L.27/Rev.1, A/51/L.37/Rev.1 and A/51/L.50/Rev.1)

Draft decision (A/51/L.43)

(d) Assistance to the Palestinian people

Report of the Secretary-General (A/51/171)

Draft resolution (A/51/L.41)

/…

The Acting President: I call now on the representative of Ireland to introduce draft resolution A/51/L.41.

Mr. Holohan (Ireland): I have the honour, on behalf of the European Union, to introduce draft resolution A/51/L.41, entitled "Assistance to the Palestinian people". China and the Czech Republic wish to add their names to the list of sponsors.

The European Union considers international efforts to improve the economic and social situation of the Palestinian people to be an essential component of the peace process. We believe that, for an environment conducive to progress in the peace process to be maintained, particularly at this difficult time, it is essential that the Palestinian people see and experience for themselves the positive economic and social effects of the political changes that would be brought about by a comprehensive peace settlement between Israel and its neighbours.

The European Union, in the context of its contribution to the peace process, is committed to providing significant financial and other assistance to promote the social and economic development of the Palestinian people, as well as to assist the Palestinian Authority in its administrative functions. The European Union and its member States together are the largest contributor of assistance to the Palestinian people. We have already pledged $625 million in assistance for the 1994-1999 period, with the goal of assisting in the consolidation of the Palestinian Authority and of improving the living conditions of the Palestinian people. Last year the total sum of the European Union and its Member States' contributions accounted for 45 per cent of the overall donor contributions to the West Bank and Gaza. At the Ministerial Conference on Economic Assistance to the Palestinian People, held in Paris in January, the European Union pledged a contribution of $120 million for 1996. The European Union was also pleased to cosponsor the Middle East/North Africa Economic Conference, held in Cairo last month.

The European Union welcomes and supports the work of the United Nations in assisting the development efforts of the Palestinian people, particularly in the fields of institutional infrastructure and effective public administration. We believe that the United Nations plays a vital role in ensuring the coordinated and effective use of international assistance to the Palestinian people.

The European Union is convinced that the peace process is the only way forward for all of the people of the Middle East. We believe that the achievement of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement requires a positive spirit from all parties and a willingness to participate fully in negotiations. In recent years, texts similar to the draft resolution before us have been adopted by consensus by this Assembly, a proof that such a spirit of cooperation does indeed exist. The European Union is therefore pleased to introduce this draft resolution and calls for its unanimous adoption by the General Assembly.

The Acting President: We shall now proceed to consider, under agenda item 21 (b), draft resolutions A/51/L.27/Rev.1, A/51/L.37/Rev.1 and A/51/L.50/Rev.1 and draft decision A/51/L.43 and, under agenda item 21 (d), draft resolution A/51/L.41.

I shall now call on the representative of Israel for an explanation of vote before the voting.

I remind delegations that explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats.

Mr. Peleg (Israel): At the outset, I would like to share Israel's outrage at the brutal murder, two days ago, of an Israeli woman, Ita Tzur, and her 12-year-old son, Ephraim, and at the wounding of five members of their family outside of Ramallah by Palestinian terrorists belonging to the Popular Front. I call on the Palestinian Authority to unequivocally condemn these coldblooded murders and to do its utmost to apprehend the murderers and to extradite them to Israel.

For many years now, Israel has been cooperating fully with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), as well as with other international organizations, in implementing programmes aimed at improving the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In this respect, my delegation believes that the United Nations Special Coordinator in the West Bank and Gaza can play a significant role in achieving the social and economic goals set out by those organizations.

It is our view that the United Nations should increase its efforts and funding to assist the Palestinians in the territories, thus facilitating the successful implementation of the Declaration of Principles. Israel fully supports and encourages extending economic, financial and technical assistance to the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. We welcome the concerted efforts of Member States, international financial institutions and intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations to aid in the development of the West Bank and Gaza. We have made a genuine efforts to reach a consensus on draft resolution A/51/L.41, which addresses the important issue of assistance to the Palestinian people. We believe that economic and social progress can be advanced only through cooperation. Economic development and improved living conditions in the territory will encourage peace and stability in the region.

However, Israel's participation in the consensus on this draft resolution should not be construed as implying any position regarding the present status of the territories referred to as "the occupied territories". Additionally, our support does not carry any implication regarding Israel's position on the permanent status of those territories, which, in accordance with the Declaration of Principles signed on 13 September 1993, is a matter to be negotiated between Israel and the PLO. With regard to paragraph 9, we hope that the proposed United Nations-sponsored seminar will be organized by an appropriate United Nations body acceptable to all parties.

Israel hopes that at the fifty-second session of the General Assembly there will be more consensus resolutions on issues relating to the Middle East, rather than one-sided political resolutions completely detached from reality. The Declaration of Principles and subsequent agreements signed by Israel and the PLO as well as the Treaty of Peace between Israel and Jordan, are momentous breakthroughs that open new vistas for economic and social progress, cooperation, prosperity and peace for our region.

/…

The meeting rose at 6.30 p.m.