Human rights of the Pal. people – GA debate – Verbatim record (excerpts)

Official Records

General Assembly

Fifty-eighth session

74th plenary meeting

Wednesday, 10 December 2003, 3 p.m. 

New York

  The meeting was called to order at 3.05 p.m.

Agenda item 48 (continued)

Fifty-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 

Agenda item 117 (continued)

Human rights questions

(d)   Comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action; Tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action

The President: The General Assembly will continue the commemorative meetings under agenda items 48 and 117 (d).

/…

 Mr. Idoko (Nigeria): …

/…

  As the world marks the fifty-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Nigeria feels compelled to comment on the Israeli-Palestinian situation and the plight of children and ordinary people in those two States.

  There is no doubt that the years of recurring violence from both the Israeli and Palestinian sides have proved futile. If anything, the vicious cycle of violence has yielded a devious harvest of untold hardship, misery, despair, bitterness, frustration and, worse still, a stronger desire for more violence and vengeance. The real desire of both parties, which is freedom, security and peace, has not been achieved. The failure to achieve freedom, peace and security shows that violence, whether through suicide bombing or conventional warfare, is not the answer. The answer lies in dialogue and compromise, anchored on true faith in the right of all human beings to freedom, peace and security; not faith in hatred and the destruction of the other person.

  Mr. Lamba (Malawi), Vice-President, took the Chair.

  Nigeria wishes to use this opportunity to reaffirm its support for the road map and urges both Israel and Palestine to embrace dialogue and compromise and show more commitment to the realization of peace in the subregion, at least for the sake of the suffering children of Israel and Palestine.

/…

  The Acting President: We have heard the last speaker for these commemorative meetings.

  I now declare concluded the commemorative meetings devoted to the observance of the fifty-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, under agenda items 48 and 117 (d).

  May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 48?

  It was so decided.

 The Acting President : The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 117 (d).

  The meeting rose at 5.05 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.