Mideast situation – GA general debate – Verbatim record (excerpts)

Official Records

General Assembly

Fifty-ninth session

17th plenary meeting

Thursday, 30 September 2004, 10 a.m.

New York

    The meeting was called to order at 10.10 a.m.

Agenda item 9 (continued)

General debate 

…

  The President (spoke in French ): I now call on His Excellency Mr. Carlos Morales Troncoso, Secretary of State for Foreign Relations of the Dominican Republic.

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

…

Many regions of the world have not yet achieved the peace to which they aspire. Despite all the efforts undertaken in that regard, innocent people continue to lose their lives in a conflict that for decades has characterized the instability of the Middle East.

  The Dominican Republic avails itself of this forum to reaffirm its unrestricted support for the peace process begun between Israel and Palestine during the 1991 Madrid Conference, for the Oslo Agreements, for the recommendations made by United States Senator George Mitchell in his final report and for the road map presented by President George Bush and supported by Russia and the European Union.

…

 The President (spoke in French ): I now call on His Excellency Mr. Lamuel Stanislaus, Chairman of the delegation of Grenada.

 Mr. Stanislaus (Grenada): …

…

  The dire problems of my country notwithstanding, we cannot fail to touch upon the world situation, in which the geopolitical centre of gravity continues to swing from the Israeli-Palestinian struggle to Iraq and Afghanistan. The situation in those centres of conflict is fanned further by the heinous and atrocious crime of terrorism, which is fast becoming a way of life. In that regard, my delegation recalls an ancient law: hatreds never cease by hatreds; it is by love alone that they cease.

…

 The President (spoke in French ): I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Stuart Leslie, head of the delegation from Belize.

 Mr. Leslie (Belize): …

…

  While we condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and have joined international efforts in the fight against terrorism, we are mindful that our actions for the preservation of peace and security must be consistent with international law and must be respectful of the human rights and freedoms of all peoples without discrimination, foremost among which must be the right to self-determination.

  For that reason, we shall remain strong proponents of the right of the Palestinian people to a secure and viable State. It is also for the same reason that we support the Taiwanese people’s right for representation before the United Nations.

…

  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. 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.