International Day of Solidarity – GA President’s message – Press release

ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT, MARKING DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINIAN PEOPLE,

OPTIMISTIC AS PEACE PROCESS ENTERS 'CRITICAL' PERIOD

Following is the text of a statement by Theo-Ben Gurirab (Namibia), President of the  General Assembly, marking the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, delivered today, 29 November:

The General  Assembly, in its resolution 32/40 B of 2 December 1977 and in subsequent resolutions, called for the annual observance of this Day, in recognition  of the need to promote and support the struggle of the Palestinian people for self-determination, peace and independence.

Once again, we are  gathered here, under the auspices of the Committee  on the  Exercise of the Inalienable  Rights  of  the Palestinian People, to commemorate another International Day of Solidarity  with the  Palestinian People and to pray for a comprehensive peace in the Middle  East.  It is my fervent hope that one day, sooner rather than  later, there will be no  need to  hold this  particular commemoration  at  the  United Nations, except to recall it for the purpose of history.  That is a wish, but we are not there yet.  Hence the need for continuing the commemoration.

For the  international community, it has  become an occasion  to renew its pledge to continue supporting the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for  self-determination and  statehood, on the basis  of the United Nations Charter, the  principles  of international  law, and the relevant United Nations resolutions and  declarations of various international conferences.

In April this year, my country, Namibia, hosted the  African Meeting  in Support of  the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, organized by your Committee.  I  was the guest of honour and keynote speaker on that occasion. The Meeting adopted the Windhoek  Declaration.  It also reiterated the commitment of African States to  assist, by all  practical and peaceful means, the Palestinian people to realize their  cherished goals.  The Committee, moreover, endorsed the Bethlehem 2000 Project spearheaded by the Palestinian Authority.

The question of Palestine has been a major concern to the United Nations for over 50 years.  Regrettably, the General Assembly's resolution 181 (II) of 29 November 1947  ran into a premeditated wall of defiance and unilateralism.  The resolution could not be implemented.  That, and the strategic projections of major Powers turned the region into a cold war zone of confrontation.  It has been a long walk since then, and finding an amicable, just and durable solution to the question of Palestine, as well as a comprehensive peace in the Middle East, has remained elusive.  Five decades later, the problem remains the oldest unresolved issue on the agenda of the United Nations.

Now, following a long stalemate, and against the backdrop of the Oslo agreements,  including other continuing efforts by various interlocutors, the peace  negotiations have been revived.  The signing of the Sharm  el-Sheikh Memorandum, on 4 September this year, was a major breakthrough.  The international community was gratified that the parties, assisted by the co-sponsors, finally succeeded in breathing new life into the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.  This achievement has made possible the resumption of further negotiations, including  progress on some of the outstanding technical matters, the release of Palestinian prisoners,  the opening of  safe-passage  routes, as  well  as  an agreement on modalities concerning issues such as a timetable and final status negotiations.  The way forward to those important negotiations on the permanent status is now open.

Thus, the urgent task of the international community must be to help  the parties through this critical period so that the peace process can come to fruition for the benefit of all the peoples in the Middle East.  I know that the co-sponsors of the  peace process, the United Nations and indeed the international community as a whole,  remain firmly committed to assisting the parties towards reaching that ultimate goal, in the spirit of constructive dialogue, mutual  respect and  compromise that have now  become noticeable  between them.  This is absolutely crucial for international peace, stability and security in the region that we all desire.

I wish to reaffirm the General Assembly's position that the United Nations  continues to have a direct interest in the peace process and upholds its responsibility for the question of Palestine until a satisfactory settlement is  reached, based on self-determination, justice and mutual commitment to good neighbourliness.

We all know that for peace to take root and become viable in the Middle East, it must be accompanied by social and economic development.   Simply put, there can be no peace without development.  Both peace and development need committed friends and assistance on a sustained basis.  Both the United Nations family and the international  donor community should intensify their efforts aimed to provide the much-needed economic and technical assistance to the Palestinian people, now and in the future.

Under your  able and dedicated leadership,  the Committee  on the Exercise of the Inalienable  Rights of the Palestinian People  has done  so much  to keep the question of  Palestine among the most burning issues on the agenda of the General  Assembly, as well as on the conscience of the entire global community.  Over the past year, your  Committee has worked tirelessly to promote the Bethlehem 2000  Project, which  was considered  recently by the General Assembly.  In this connection, I have received  an official invitation from President Yasser Arafat to attend the Bethlehem celebrations  and I look forward to doing so.  I wish to commend the Committee for all this and urge  it to stay put on the right track until the job is done.  The achievement of common  peace, security, cooperation and development in the Middle East will be a fitting tribute to the  memories of all those who died in pursuit of these noble objectives, and it will also be a victory for the United Nations itself, as we enter the new millennium.

There is a time for war, hatred and destruction; now is the time for freedom, peace, reconciliation and building together.  This, I believe, is what  Israel wants and this is also what all its neighbours want, particularly the Palestinians.

In diligently implementing the mandate entrusted to it by the General Assembly, your famous Committee has made, and continues to make, sterling contributions towards promoting  that most desirable  goal.  I want to wish you every success in your noble mission.

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