International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (November 1998) – SecGen message – Press release

`SEIZE THIS DAY' TO RENEW COMMITMENT TO MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS,

SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL IN MESSAGE ON PALESTINIAN SOLIDARITY DAY

Following  is the message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the International  Day  of Solidarity with the Palestinian  People, which  is observed annually on 29 November:

On this  day 51  years ago, the General  Assembly of  the United  Nations passed a resolution which, if implemented, would have created an Arab and a Jewish State in Palestine, living side  by side in peaceful  coexistence.  Year after year, this anniversary provides the international community with an opportunity — and an obligation  — to refocus its attention on the distressing  fact that, after more than half a century,  the issue  of Palestine remains unresolved.

Since taking  office, I  have  made  every effort to support the peace process in the  Middle East — and to mobilize the resources of the United Nations family to help create an  economic and social environment favourable to peace.  When I  visited the  region earlier this  year, I witnessed  the hardship and  deprivation  caused by decades of  conflict, as  well as the yearning on all sides for a peaceful  future.  I took the opportunity to appeal  to the leaders of all parties to continue building on the achievements of the peace process, to make every effort to resume the negotiations in earnest, and to take the difficult decisions needed to  move towards reconciliation and cooperation.

The  recent  signing  of  the  Wye  River  Memorandum  by Israel  and  the Palestine  Liberation Organization, coming  as it  did after  many months of uncertainty and  concern  over  the future  of the peace process, is an encouraging development.  In approving the agreement, the Government of Israel has shown its readiness to  continue on the  road, so  courageously embarked  upon by  its predecessor, of accommodation with the Palestinian people and their chosen representatives.  We earnestly hope that this agreement will be implemented in all its aspects and will pave the way for the resumption of negotiations on all tracks.

Regrettably, incidents of violence by elements opposed  to the  peace process have  continued to  cost lives  and to mar  progress.  They must be condemned.  I appeal again  to the parties not to be swayed by such incidents, but instead,  to redouble their efforts  in pursuit of a lasting solution to the conflict.  It is necessary for the parties to address not only the manifestations, but also the causes of  violence; to restore hope, mutual confidence and  a spirit of partnership; and to work together for a future of peace, cooperation and good-neighbourliness.

More  than 50 years after the adoption of the resolution whose anniversary we mark today, and as we near the end of the process originally envisaged under the 1993 Declaration of Principles, positive advances along this road are needed urgently.   It is  also essential  to create the political and economic conditions that will enable this hope to be  realized in practice.  A rapid improvement in living conditions  in the Palestinian territories  is an essential accompaniment to the peace negotiations.  Real progress in the fields of employment, health, education, human rights and industrial  and commercial  development is  urgently needed  to strengthen  support for the peace process.  Despite the ongoing efforts of the United Nations entities present on  the ground, much  still needs to  be done to alleviate existing conditions and to lay a solid foundation for future development.

I firmly  believe that the  international community can and should go further.  In  particular, the serious  financial  situation faced  by  the United  Nations Relief and Works  Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)  requires intensified efforts by  all concerned  to ensure that the quality and level of services for Palestine refugees can be maintained as an essential contribution to stability in the area.

The United Nations family will continue  to provide all possible expertise and assistance in humanitarian relief and economic and  social development in order to contribute towards creating the necessary conditions for peace.  And so, let us seize this  day to renew once again the  firm commitment of the United  Nations in support of the peace  process.  Let us rededicate ourselves  to the objective  of achieving a  just and  lasting settlement in the Middle East, in the interest of Israelis and Palestinians but also as part of a comprehensive peace in the Middle East, so essential to peace and security throughout the world.

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*  Reissued to correct information in the first paragraph.