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

Official Records

General Assembly

Fifty-ninth session

28th plenary meeting

Wednesday, 13 October 2004, 11.30 a.m.

New York

    The meeting was called to order at 11.30 a.m.

Agenda items 11 and 53 ( continued)

Report of the Security Council (A/59/2)

Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and related matters

 Mr. Jenie (Indonesia): …

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  Despite the fact that the Council has regularly considered the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, the situation on the ground has not improved and, in fact, has worsened. The implementation of the road map that envisions a permanent two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is far from becoming a reality. My delegation still considers the road map as the feasible option, as long as the relevant parties, particularly the Israeli side, show genuine willingness to implement the plan.

  Regrettably, for the better part of the history of the issue of Palestine, the Council has been prevented from adopting a just and balanced approach to the matter. If permitted to do so, the Council could persuade Israel to withdraw its forces from the occupied territories and to cease settlement activities, in accordance with the relevant Council resolutions. This is a critically important issue that could jeopardize the credibility of the Council should it fail to ensure the implementation of its own resolutions.

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 Mr. Danesh-Yazdi (Islamic Republic of Iran): …

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  The situation in the Middle East, especially the Palestinian question, received the attention of the Council throughout the period under consideration. We note that the Council continued to convene monthly meetings at which members received briefings from the Secretary-General, his Personal Representative and Special Coordinator or other high-ranking Secretariat officials on the situation in the Middle East. That undoubtedly helped Council members not to lose sight of the grave situation in that region. However, we are of the view that the Council was rendered ineffective and unable to address adequately the question of Palestine, despite the gravity of that issue.

  We observed with dismay that, during the period under review, attempts to adopt resolutions on the Palestinian issue in the Security Council were thwarted three times, even though earlier relevant resolutions of the Council were totally disregarded by Israel. In fact, the Council’s approach on the Palestinian issue fell well short of our expectations. No doubt the credibility of the Council will erode over time if it is habitually seen to be unable to meet its responsibilities with regard to outstanding issues on its agenda.

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  Mr. Clodumar (Nauru): …

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    The failure of Israel and Palestine to come to the peace table by way of fulfilling their obligations under the road map, in cooperation with the Quartet, has continued to bring senseless misery to their peoples. In our view, the failure of the Security Council to adopt resolutions to address breaches of international law and of the Council’s own resolutions has exacerbated the situation, as a divided Council is powerless. That situation should be corrected, as it could and would send a signal to the parties to the conflict that their actions and counter-actions are being condoned.

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  Mr. Adechi (Benin) (spoke in French ): …

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  Conflicts on other continents are moving towards the restoration of peace and stability. The exception is the situation in the Middle East, in particular the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the situation in Iraq, where uncontrolled violence prevails and where the heavy loss of life continues to bring grief to humankind, with no end in sight.

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    The meeting rose at 12.55 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.