General Assembly General Debate (11th to 14th Meetings) – GA/11950 (Excerpts)

SEVENTY-SECOND SESSION, 11TH TO 14TH MEETINGS (AM, PM & NIGHT)
GA/11950
21 SEPTEMBER 2017

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Statements

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JOVENEL MOISE, President of Haiti, said…also expressed concern about the ongoing crises in Syria and Venezuela, as well as the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

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MICHEL AOUN, President of Lebanon…Noting that thousands of Palestinian refugees also remained displaced from their homeland, he said no serious efforts had been made by the United Nations — or Security Council — to implement the two-State solution.  The crime of expelling Palestinians from their land could not be rectified by another crime against the Lebanese people by imposing neutralization, or against the Palestinians, by denying them the right of return.

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MOKGWEETSI E.K. MASISI, Vice-President of Botswana, said…He similarly supported Palestinians in their struggle for sovereignty and independent statehood, announcing that Botswana established diplomatic relations with Palestine on 8 March.

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SERGEY V. LAVROV, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation,…adding that the Russian Federation had maintained its balanced approach to all conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere.

In that vein, he emphasized the need to restore Palestinian unity, pledging that the Russian Federation would continue to cooperate with the parties including through the Middle East Quartet.

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WANG YI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of China, said…On the Palestinian issue, he said “we owe the Palestinians a just solution”, and called for an immediate end to violence.  All efforts should be made based on the two-State solution and “we must think out of the box to mediate peace”.

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AZALI ASSOUMANI, President of Comoros,…He called for an end to hostilities in the Middle East and repudiated the use of chemical weapons.  He expressed support for the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people and voiced his support for a two-State solution to the Israel-Palestine dispute.

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ROBERT GABRIEL MUGABE, President of Zimbabwe, said…noting that the peoples of Western Sahara and Palestine lived under “immoral” colonial and foreign occupation, he called upon the Security Council to demonstrate its authority by enforcing resolutions, and holding the independence referendum in Western Sahara “without delay” in partnership with the African Union.

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MUHAMMAD JUSUF KALLA, Vice-President of Indonesia, said…Palestine was at the heart of Indonesia’s foreign policy, he said, calling for a fresh, sustainable and innovative approach that would bring about a two-State solution.

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AL HUSSEIN BIN ABDULLAH II, Crown Prince of Jordan, said his nation had been hit in recent years by a number of external shocks, including being surrounded by multiple conflicts, namely in Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  That impacted trade with Iraq, Syria, Turkey and many countries in Europe.  The region’s instability also weakened tourism and investments in a country already suffering from the global financial and energy crises.

Despite such difficulties, Jordan continued to host 1.3 million Syrian refugees, with 90 per cent of that population living within local communities, as well as millions of Palestinians, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and refugees from Libya and Yemen, he said.  His country remained one of the largest hosts of refugees in the world and more than a quarter of its budget was spent on the Syrian crisis.  “We did not turn our back on people on need.  We are weighted by massive debt, but we stand tall and proud,” he said.

The country’s supported resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was based on the two-State solution, he continued, stressing the country’s duty as Hashemite custodian of Muslim and Christian Holy sites in Jerusalem:  “Preserving the historical and legal status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque/Haram al-Sharif is key to peace in our region and the world.”

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SHAHID KHAQAN ABBASI, Prime Minister of Pakistan,…rawing attention to renewed East-West tensions, war and violence in the Middle East and the continued tragedy of Palestine…

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PRAVIND KUMAR JUGNAUTH, Prime Minister of Mauritius,…Furthermore, he supported the two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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SHEIKH HASINA, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, said…called for the resumption of the Middle East peace process and an end to all hostilities and discrimination against Palestinians.

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KAIRAT ABDRAKHMANOV, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan,…Kazakhstan’s position on the Israel-Palestine situation remained clear, he said, calling for a two-State solution that recognized a “sovereign, independent, viable and united” Palestine.

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ALFONSO MARÍA DASTIS QUECEDO, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain, said…while stressing support for a two State-solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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JEAN ASSELBORN, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg, said…The announcement of the holding of elections in Palestine was a source of optimism.  In the same vein, the trends on the ground were worrying, he said, urging the international community to mobilize for change.

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For information media. Not an official record.

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