Mideast situation/Peace process - Spokesman's Office (excerpts)

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY HUA JIANG
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, June 11, 2003

ANNAN CONDEMNS JERUSALEM BUS BOMBING,
SAYING IT WOULD ONLY SERVE TO SPUR FURTHER HATRED

In a statement issued through his Spokesman, Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemned in the strongest possible terms the suicide bombing by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Jerusalem today, which killed at least 16 Israelis and injured dozens more.
He expresses his profound condolences to the families of the victims. As he has made clear repeatedly, the Secretary-General believes that such attacks are utterly reprehensible and only serve to spur further hatred and mistrust.
The Secretary-General calls on the leaders of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples not to be deterred from the path to peace through the Quartet's Road Map by this attack.
He urges Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas to work assiduously to fulfil his pledge to end the armed intifada.
The Secretary-General calls on both sides to act with restraint in the face of this terrorism.
He believes that the Israeli attacks in Gaza today only contribute to a renewed cycle of violence. The Secretary-General remains firm in his belief that security for both Israelis and Palestinians can best be achieved through the resolution of this conflict through the two state solution called for in the Road Map.

UNRWA PROTEST ISRAELI DECISION TO BLOCK OFFICIALS FROM LEAVING GAZA

Early this morning at the Erez checkpoint in Gaza, Israeli security forces prevented Peter Hansen, the Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and his senior management team from leaving Gaza to attend a meeting in Jordan.
UNRWA has filed a protest with the Israeli government.
UNRWA says this incident is the culmination of weeks of ever-tightening restrictions on the movement of UNRWA’s international personnel. Hundreds of man-hours have been lost at the Erez crossing in the last month, seriously impairing the Agency’s operations.
James Morris, the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) is in Jerusalem today to begin a three-day visit to review first hand WFP's efforts to provide food aid to Palestinians impoverished by deteriorating security and economic conditions over the past two years. While over the past 12 months, WFP was able to bring in nearly 45,000 tons of food for nearly half a million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Israeli security measures have made the agency’s operations in the area extremely difficult.

ANNAN MEETS WITH POWELL, RICE IN WASHINGTON

The Secretary-General traveled to Washington, D.C. this morning, where he met with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell for a working lunch, at which they are expected to discuss the Middle East and Iraq, among other matters.
Prior to the meeting with Secretary Powell, the Secretary-General met with U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. They discussed the Middle East, Iraq, Liberia, Western Sahara and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The National Security Advisor also brought up the situation in Myanmar.
He is scheduled to return to New York this afternoon.

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Mideast situation/Peace process – Spokesman’s Office (excerpts)