Middle East situation/Palestine question – GA general debate – Press release (excerpts)

Plenary

11^th & 12^th Meetings (AM & PM)

UN MUST LEARN FROM MISTAKES, MORE EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENT DECISIONS,

FOREIGN MINISTER OF RWANDA TELLS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

General Debate Continues, with Security Council Reform,

Terrorist Threat, Nuclear-Weapon Proliferation among Issues Addressed

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Background

The General Assembly met this morning to continue its general debate.

Statements

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PHILIPPE DOUSTE-BLAZY, Minister for Foreign Affairs of France, …

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In the Middle East, there was hopeful momentum with the withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip.  Together with its European partners, France, supported the efforts of the Palestinian people to reconstruct and develop their territory.  They should have decent living conditions and have access to jobs.  It was important to open a political perspective to re-start the implementation of the Road Map by encouraging, on the one hand, the Palestinians to redouble their efforts on security and, on the other, the Israelis to take the necessary measures to stop settlement activity and comply with international law in their struggle for security. Peace in the Middle East would entail the existence of two democratic States living side by side in peace and security.  In Iraq, international assistance to the Iraqi people should lead to the creation of institutions that all the Iraqis could trust.  The political process should move forward towards the country’s full sovereignty.