Peace prospects in the Middle East – GA general debate, statements – Verbatim record (excerpts)

Official Records

General Assembly
Sixty-first session
24th plenary meeting
Monday, 2 October 2006, 10 a.m. 
New York

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

Agenda item 102 (continued)

Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization (A/61/1 and Corr.1)

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Mr. Liu Zhenmin (China) (spoke in Chinese): …

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The Middle East peace process is at an impasse and is a source of concern. The Palestinian-Israeli question, the Lebanese-Israeli question, the Syrian-Lebanese question and the question of Iraq are interwoven and threaten world peace and security and the role and authority of the United Nations. The United Nations must act. As the Palestinian question is at the core of the Middle East question, the peace process must be relaunched, on the basis of relevant United Nations resolutions and the principle of land for peace, with a view to arriving at a comprehensive solution of the Middle East question, including the Palestinian-Israeli question, as soon as possible, and to enabling the parties involved to coexist in harmony and lasting peace in the region.

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Mr. Hamidon (Malaysia): The report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization (A/61/1 and Corr.1) that is before us illustrates the challenges and tasks facing this Organization.

As outlined by its Charter, the main purpose of the Organization is the maintenance of international peace and security. By and large, this has been achieved. However, in the Middle East the problems, in particular the Palestinian question, remain unresolved. The devastation wrought on Gaza, Baghdad and Lebanon has left an indelible impression on Muslims worldwide of the complicity of the West to humiliate them. This fans the feelings of outrage and anger, which often erupt into violence.

It is imperative that a comprehensive solution to the Middle East crisis be found. No one party or country can determine how the Middle East is to be redrawn and reshaped. The views of all those concerned have to be addressed. In this regard, my delegation feels that the United Nations could play a more pronounced and decisive role, as envisioned by its Charter, by bringing together all parties concerned to the negotiating table.

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The meeting rose at 1.10 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.