{"id":213953,"date":"1997-12-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T20:42:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?p=213953"},"modified":"2019-03-12T20:42:24","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T20:42:24","slug":"auto-insert-213953","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/auto-insert-213953\/","title":{"rendered":"Mideast situation – GA debate – Press release (Excerpts)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fifty-second General Assembly            <\/p><\/div>\n

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Plenary                  <\/p><\/div>\n

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60th Meeting (AM)<\/p><\/div>\n

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ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS WOULD BOTH BENEFIT FROM SETTLEMENT<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

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OF MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT, GENERAL ASSEMBLY TOLD<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

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'Non-Zero-Sum' Approach Should be Applied to Palestinian,<\/p><\/div>\n

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Lebanese, Syrian Tracks of Peace Process, Republic of Korea Says<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>Rather  than engage  in  polemics  over which side was to blame for the deadlock  in the  peace  process, it would be more fruitful to ask the Israelis  and  Palestinians  whether the  current situation  was what  they really wanted, the representative of the Republic of  Korea told the General Assembly this morning, as it considered the situation in the Middle East.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>If it was not, they should discuss all remaining issues  — including Israeli redeployment, an airport in  Gaza, safe passage between Gaza and the West Bank, and the question of settlements, he  said.  Both sides would gain from a resolution of the situation.  The idea of a non-zero-sum game should also be applied to the Israel-Lebanon and Israel-Syria tracks, he added. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>The representative  of Israel said that  Governments in  the Middle  East must ask themselves whether they wanted  economic growth and entry  into the information age,  or whether  they wanted European investors to skip  over their part  of the  world because it was  seen as  unstable and dangerous.  Security was not a reward, but a necessary condition for progress.   Peace held out the  promise of regional cooperation, which was a win-win proposition that ensured economic and social progress for all.  <\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>The  representative of Egypt said that restoration  of  the  occupied territories was not a  prize to be given to the  Arabs by Israel.  When his country's land was returned by negotiations, it was  without settlements, although  there had  been some in Sinai at the  time.  That represented a precedent for peace between Israel and the Arabs, he said.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>The  representative of Luxembourg, speaking  on  behalf of  the  European Union  and   associated  States,  said  they  opposed the  development  of settlements in the occupied territories, including Jerusalem, and supported cooperation on security and  the fight against terrorism.  The  Union  would act to facilitate the resumption of talks between  the  Israelis  and Palestinians.  He said  that  economic and  social progress, along  with substantial improvement of the plight of the people in the region, were essential to the peace process. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>Statements  were also made by Indonesia, Kuwait, Turkey, Brunei Darussalam, Ukraine, Senegal, Malaysia, Belarus,  Argentina, Ghana, Cuba, Yemen and Japan.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>The Assembly will meet again at 3 p.m. today  to continue its consideration of  the situation in the Middle East  and to take  action on draft resolutions concerning the question on Palestine. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>Assembly Work Programme<\/u><\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>The General  Assembly met this morning to elect a new Executive Director of the United  Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)  and  to  begin its consideration of the situation in the Middle East.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\/…<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>A report of the Secretary-General on  the situation in  the Middle  East (document  A\/52\/467) is issued pursuant to  two resolutions  adopted by the Assembly on 4 December 1996.  By resolution 51\/27, the Assembly called  once more on States which had transferred  their  diplomatic missions to Jerusalem, in violation of Security Council  resolution 478 (1980), to abide by  the provisions of the relevant United  Nations resolutions.  By resolution 51\/28, it again demanded that Israel withdraw from all the occupied Syrian Golan in implementation of the relevant Council resolutions.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>The Secretary-General states that to fulfil his reporting  responsibility under those  resolutions, he addressed notes verbales on 9 September to the Permanent Representative of Israel and of other Member States, asking them to inform him of  any steps their Governments had taken or envisaged taking to implement those texts.  As at 15 October, six replies have been received and are reproduced with the report.  They are from Bangladesh, Colombia, Finland, Guyana, Japan and the Russian Federation.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>The Assembly also had before it a report by the Secretary-General on the question of  Palestine and the situation in the Middle East (document A\/52\/581).  (For background on that report, see Press Release GA\/9366 of 1 December.)<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>The Assembly also had before it draft resolutions on Jerusalem, the Syrian Golan, and the Middle East peace process.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>By the text on Jerusalem (document  A\/52\/L.54),  the  Assembly  would determine  that the decision of Israel to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the Holy City of Jerusalem is illegal and therefore null and void and that it has no validity whatsoever.   It would deplore the transfer by some States of their diplomatic missions to Jerusalem in violation of Security Council resolution 478 (1980), and  their refusal to comply  with its  provisions.  It would once more call on those States to abide by the relevant United  Nations resolutions, and would ask the Secretary-General to report on implementation of the current text.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>The draft resolution is sponsored by Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Cuba,   Djibouti, Egypt, Guinea, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman,  Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, the  United Arab Emirates and Yemen.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>By the  draft resolution on the Syrian Golan (document A\/52\/L.55), the Assembly would  demand once more that Israel withdraw from  all the occupied Syrian Golan to the line  of 4 June 1967, in implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions.  It would declare that  the Israeli decision of 14 December 1981 to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan is null and void  and has no validity whatsoever, and would call upon Israel to rescind that decision.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>The Assembly would  call on Israel to resume the talks on  the Syrian and Lebanese tracks  and to respect the commitments and undertakings reached during the previous talks.  It would call on all the parties concerned, the co-sponsors of the peace process and the entire international community to exert all the necessary efforts to ensure the resumption  of the peace process and its success.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>Further,  the  Assembly would determine once more that the continued occupation of  the Syrian Golan and its de  facto annexation  constitute a stumbling block in the way of achieving a just, comprehensive and  lasting peace in the region.  It would reaffirm that the relevant provisions of the 1907 Hague Convention and the 1949 Geneva Convention  continue to apply to the  occupied Syrian  territory and would  call  on the  parties  to those instruments to respect their obligations under them.  The Secretary-General would be asked to report on implementation of the current text.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>The draft resolution is  sponsored by Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cuba,  Djibouti, Egypt, Guinea, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco,  Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>By  the  draft resolution on the Middle East peace process (document A\/52\/L.62), the Assembly would stress the need to surmount the difficulties facing  the peace process and to achieve rapid progress on all tracks of the Arab-Israeli negotiations.  It would  urge  all  parties to  fulfil their obligations  in good  faith and  implement  the agreements  already  reached without delay.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>The  Assembly would  call  on  the  parties concerned to refrain from unilateral  any actions which would pre-empt the outcome  of negotiations.  It would call for increased efforts to bring the peace process back on track and for the  acceleration of those negotiations on the agreed basis of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973).  It would also  call on Member States to extend economic, financial and technical assistance to parties in the region and to support the peace process.  <\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>The draft resolution is sponsored by Norway, the Russian Federation and the United States.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>Also before the Assembly is a set of proposed amendments  to the  draft resolution on  the Middle East peace process (document A\/52\/L.62).  In its third preambular paragraph,  the Assembly would also recall Security Council resolution 425 (1978) — in addition to resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) — as a basis for the convening of the 1991 Madrid Peace Conference.  In operative paragraph 4, which urges the parties to fulfil their obligations in good faith, the phrase "contractual obligations" would be used.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>In  operative paragraph 5, which  calls on  the  parties to  refrain from unilateral  actions which might pre-empt the  outcome of  negotiations, it would specifically refer to  actions "on the ground".  In operative paragraph 6,  the reference to the agreed basis for negotiations embodied in resolutions 242 and 338, it would specify "including  the principle of land for peace".<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>The  proposed amendments are sponsored by Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>Statements on Middle East Situation<\/u><\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>JEAN-LOUIS WOLZFELD  (Luxembourg) for  the European  Union and  associated central and eastern  European countries, as well as Cyprus and Iceland, said the  Madrid conference and the Oslo process had opened the way to a mutual recognition between  Israel and its neighbours, and to  negotiated peace in the whole region.   The absence of progress in the negotiations, the lack of implementation of the  agreements  reached and  the  upsurge of  acts of violence against civilian  populations had compromised the confidence  which the peoples of the region had in the peace process.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>He  said  the  European  Union  called  on  all   parties  to  honour  the obligations and agreements which they had contracted at Madrid and Oslo,  to fully implement the Israeli-Palestinian agreements already concluded and  to reject  any unilateral  initiative which  could  delay  or hinder  the peace process.    The Union reiterated  its  opposition  to  the  development of settlements  in  the occupied territories, including Jerusalem, and  its support for cooperation  in the field of security  and in the fight  against terrorism.  It  reaffirmed its position that  East Jerusalem was subject to the principles  set out  in Security  Council resolution  242 (1967), which affirmed in particular the inadmissibility  of the acquisition of territory by force.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>He  said   the Union would  continue to  support  the resumption  of  the negotiations  between  Israel  and  Syria,  as   well  as  the  opening   of negotiations between Israel  and Lebanon.   It had repeatedly asked  for the withdrawal  of foreign troops  from Lebanon,  and had  advocated cooperation with United Nations  forces there.   The Union  also wanted  to confirm  its support  for the multilateral  part of  the peace process; it  would take an active part in the regional working groups for economic development, and  in other multilateral groups.  The European  Union,  he added,  intended  to facilitate   the  resumption  of  talks  between Israel and Palestine by contributing  to the  adoption  of  a code of  good conduct  between  both parties, as well as to  the adoption of  measures of confidence.  Economic and social progress in the region, as well as a substantial improvement of the  plight  of the  people,  constituted an essential  part in  the  peace process.  The foundations of peace were well  known and had been established in resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978) of the Council.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>DORE GOLD  (Israel) said the  current Middle  East peace  process had  its roots in  a number  of developments, including  the collapse  of the  Soviet Union and  the end  of global  super-Power competition; the  defeat of  Iraq after its invasion  of Kuwait, which  proved that  the main  threat to  many Arab  States came not  from Israel  but from  militarily strong "anti-status quo" regional powers, and the fact  that Iran had not begun to assert itself as a regional power after its eight-year war with Iraq. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>Today  that situation had changed,  he said.   The consensus  against the "anti-status  quo"  powers was shaken, Iran's  "long  arm  of  subversion"  stretched  across the region.  Iran's total rejection  of  Israel, and revolutionary  adventurism  made  its  military  build-up  troubling.  Its regional activism and  "quest for weapons of  strategic reach" should be  of concern for all States interested in Middle East stability and security. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>He said Israel was determined to move forward  with the peace process,  he said.  Prime Minister  Netanyahu rejected the idea  that Islam had  replaced communism  as  the new  enemy of  the West.  Israel was  working with  the Palestinians to implement the  Interim  Agreement,  and  proposed  further redeployment, but it expected the Palestinian Authority to do its utmost to combat  terrorism.  Security cooperation  was not a  reward, but a necessary condition  for   progress.    Peace  held   out the promise of  regional cooperation, but that cooperation  was not a prize  that could be awarded or withheld from Israel.  Regional  cooperation was of benefit to  all.  It was a "win-win" issue that ensured economic and social progress. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>Governments  in the Middle  East must  ask themselves  whether they wanted economic  growth and entry into the information age,  or whether they wanted investors from Europe to  "skip over" their  part of the world because they viewed it as unstable and dangerous. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>He  said the draft resolution  on the Golan  Heights prejudged issues that had to be  negotiated.  It  was irrelevant and  harmed the  cause of  peace.  Israel  was willing  to listen  to the Syrian  point of view, but the Golan Heights were a vital security interest to Israel.  In the past, it had been a staging  ground for Syrian  attacks against  Israel and  Syria still had large  troop concentrations there, representing  an enormous  quantitative advantage over Israel.  Syria must return to the negotiating  table.  Such a<\/p><\/div>\n

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step, more than any General Assembly resolution, would ensure peace. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>He said  a  draft resolution on Jerusalem,  presented yearly  under  the agenda item entitled  "The Situation  in the Middle  East", dealt with  "the centre of our (Israeli) aspirations".  As the  unified capital of Israel, he said,  the city would remain open  to all faiths — "to practise in complete freedom with no fear". <\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>Forces seeking to destabilize the Middle East were more active  in 1997 than in  1991,  he  added,  but they were  often overlooked in today's discussion.  Unless the threats to world  peace coming from  the Middle East were  identified  and  addressed, they  would  undermine  the well-being of nations around the world.   Israel was on the  side of peace and progress in the Middle East.  <\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>SITJIPTOHARDJO DONOKUSUMO  (Indonesia) said  the situation  in the  Middle East  continued  to be fraught with  tension   and  posed  a  threat   to international peace and security.  The persistence of that  state of affairs could  be ascribed  to the  untenable policies  and actions  pursued by  the Israeli Government, in contradiction to  the principles governing  the peace process as  they related  to its  negotiations with  Syria, Lebanon and  the Palestinians.  On 13 November, the  resumed emergency special session of the General Assembly once again overwhelmingly adopted a resolution  condemning the  failure of  the  Israeli  Government to  cease  the building  of a  new settlement in Jabal Abu Ghneim\/Har Homa to the south of East Jerusalem.   A few days ago,  the Assembly clearly expressed its views on that Government's continued evasion  of commitments  and agreements  reached, as well as its blatant  unilateral  measures to  impose  faits  accomplis  in the  occupied Palestinian territory.  Those policies and  practices had led to frustration and despair  among the Palestinian people and had resulted in the present setback to the peace process.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>The Israeli Government had displayed the same manifest lack of commitment to the  peace process  with respect  to the  Syrian and  Lebanese tracks  of negotiations, he  said.  The sovereign  territory of  Lebanon remained under the  illegal military occupation of Israel.  It was essential that Lebanon's sovereignty and  territorial  integrity be  restored  and  respected.   With regard  to the Israeli-Syrian track  of negotiations,  Indonesia could  not accept the attempts by the Israeli Government  to reinterpret and step  back from the principle of  land for peace.  Negotiations should resume from  the point where they  were halted and the  two parties should commit  themselves to  what  had  already been  achieved.   A  comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Middle East conflict  must entail  the implementation of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978).<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>BADER MOHAMMAD E. AL-AWDI  (Kuwait) said conflict and an arms race in  the Middle East  had obstructed development and destroyed a  sense of security; peace  was a  distant dream.  The people of the region lived  in concern because  of  the deterioration  of  the  peace  process  resulting from  the policies of the Israeli Government. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>Kuwait had welcomed the peace process  and the agreements signed  between Israel and  the Palestinians between  1993 and 1995, and  the agreement with Jordan in  1994, and had called for progress on Lebanon and Syria as well as for Israel's compliance with Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) and the "land-for-peace" principle.   The process was threatened by  the  failure  to  implement  agreements  with  the  Palestinians  and to redeploy, and by the  pursuit  of   policies  like  border  closures  and collective punishment, and the settlement activity in East Jerusalem with a view to changing its demographic composition.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>He said Kuwait supported the holding  of  a  meeting  of the High Contracting Parties to the  1949  Geneva Convention  to discuss  settlement policies.  The co-sponsors of the peace process must make more efforts,  and Kuwait welcomed those undertaken  by Ms. Albright  of the United States  and the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>Israel's withdrawal from the Golan Heights would prove its good faith and its desire to  reach a just and lasting  peace, he added.  Kuwait  supported Syria's call for a  resumption of talks on the issue where they  had broken off. It also favoured Lebanon's position on Security Council resolution 425 (1978) which called for Israeli withdrawal from  its territory.   The time had come for  Lebanon to be able to consolidate its peace, development  and progress.   The Arabs had  opted for peace but Israel was destroying those hopes.  Israel must observe the rights of others, show goodwill and  avoid provocations; peace deserved  patience because it  would bring stability and development.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>HUSEYIN  E. CELEM  (Turkey)  said  Israeli settlement activities  in  the occupied territories,  in defiance of  relevant Security Council and General Assembly  resolutions,  continued   to  keep  the  peace  process   hostage.  Bilateral negotiations would  prove to be the only  peaceful way out of  the present crisis.  Israel could not expect its  partner in the  peace process to go on negotiating, while at the same time  observing Israeli construction activities on the very land that was the principal object of  negotiations.  For those negotiations to be conducted in a favourable atmosphere  and in good  faith, all the settlement activities in the occupied territories, starting first  and  foremost with  the  Jabal  Abu Ghneim  project,  should cease. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>At the same time,  he went on, no  one should doubt that  terrorism was  a fundamental threat to peace.  All  countries should do everything in their power,  at bilateral,  regional and international levels, to support and contribute to the struggle against terrorism.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>Turkey was  concerned  about the  economic  and  social situation  in  the region.    Improving  living conditions for  the  Palestinian  people, both within  and outside the  occupied territories,  was a significant  goal.  In that regard,  Israel's closure policies were  particularly harmful.   In the present circumstances,  tangible support of  the international community  in the form of economic, financial and  technical assistance to the Palestinian people was of paramount importance. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>He  said Turkey supported  all  settlement initiatives  based  on  United Nations  Security  Council  resolutions  242  (1967)  and  338  (1973).   On Lebanon, he stressed the significance of  strict implementation of the Taif Agreement by all parties concerned, and the need for full implementation  of Security Council resolution 425 (1978).  A lasting, just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East could  be based only on the rights of all States in the region, including Israel, to exist within secure and internationally recognized borders.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>PENGIRAN BASMILLAH ABBAS (Brunei Darussalam) said  there would be no peace in the Middle  East without the return  of the occupied territories – namely, the occupied Palestinian  territories, including East Jerusalem, the  Syrian Golan and southern Lebanon.  Events during the  year had caused a tremendous setback  to  the  momentum  of  the  peace process.    Israel  had  not been forthcoming in implementing the peace agreements  reached in Madrid in  1991 and  in Oslo in 1993.  Its decision to establish and  expand  existing settlements in the occupied  Palestinian territories was  against the spirit of  those agreements  and  was  having a serious  effect on  the  cultural characteristics and demographic  composition of those areas, including  East Jerusalem.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>Mutual trust was  vital for peaceful coexistence,  he said.  Israel should contribute  positively to peace in  the Middle  East and  comply fully with relevant  Security Council resolutions.   The  right of  the Palestinians to their homeland should be upheld and their suffering ended.  Repeated delays in the  peace process  should not  be allowed,  and the  agreements must be fully implemented.  She  called on  the international  community to provide renewed impetus and encourage progress in the peace process.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>YURIY BOHAIEVS'KY (Ukraine) said the parties  in the Middle East conflict had to overcome  the current crises of  animosity and reach a  breakthrough.  That was only  achievable by honouring  the terms of  the Madrid Conference and  the Oslo  agreement, and  should be  conducted in full  accordance with Security Council resolutions 242 and  338.    Closer cooperation  between Israel and  the Palestinian  Authority  in  combating  terrorism,   while implementing the Oslo and Hebron agreements,  would help promote their final status talks.   A just and comprehensive  peace would remain elusive  unless supported by adequate measures in the area of disarmament, particularly the elimination of  all weapons of mass  destruction accumulated  in the region.  That was why every year,  Ukraine  joined  the  consensus  in the First Committee (Disarmament and  International Security) on the draft  resolution concerning the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>With regard to  Israeli-Jordanian relations, Ukraine welcomed the  signing by the  two countries  of the Treaty of  Peace in 1994, which  paved the way for establishing  a cease-fire, the  mutually agreed international  borders, full  diplomatic relations,  economic cooperation, combating terrorism, and the special role of Jordan in looking after the Muslim relics in Jerusalem, he said.  The Israeli-Syrian  and the  Israeli-Lebanese negotiating  tracks were  also indispensable to a comprehensive settlement of the Middle East problem. <\/p><\/div>\n

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\t<\/span>He  said his country  was satisfied  with the reports about  the easing of tensions  in the recent  crisis between the Iraqi  leadership and the United Nations Special Commission  set up to monitor the disposal of Iraq's weapons of  mass destruction.   Only  unconditional  implementation  by Iraq  of all relevant Security Council resolutions could lead  eventually to the  lifting of sanctions.   However,  the international community  should not  disregard the  critical  humanitarian situation  in  Iraq  which resulted  from  them. Ukraine  welcomed  the  Secretary-General's recent  recommendations  to  the Council on the   oil-for-food programme.  Those humanitarian flows should be delivered to people in need, under United Nations monitoring.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>IBRA DEGUENE  KA  (Senegal) said the 1991 Madrid Peace Conference had raised the hopes of the international  community.  However, Israel's illegal settlement  activities in the  Arab lands  of Palestine  and East Jerusalem, along with  its border closings, stifling of the  Palestinian economy  and provocative  actions  by armed  settlers  heightened  frustration  and  bred distrust.  A rendezvous with history had been missed.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>The construction of a  new Jewish settlement on Arab soil at the highly symbolic  site of Jabal  Abu Ghneim  was a deliberate  provocation, he said.  Israel must implement all the relevant  General Assembly resolutions to ease the  situation and show its commitment to peace.   Peace could only be based on international legality, the relevant United  Nations resolutions, and the basic  principles  established by the  Madrid, Oslo and Taba accords — including land for peace and the Palestinians' right to self-determination.  The land for peace principle  must also be applied  to Israel's negotiations with Syria and Lebanon.  The co-sponsors of  the peace process must take new initiatives to save peace in the Middle East.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>HASMY  BIN  AGAM  (Malaysia)  said  the  Israeli  Government's  unilateral decision  to  establish  a new Jewish settlement in  East Jerusalem had injected a  new  and highly  contentious  element  in the  precarious  peace process.  Along with other patently  discriminatory and punitive policies by the Israeli  Government in the  occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem, the settlements policy had led to the virtual derailment of the peace  process. Even as the international community focused on efforts to put the Palestinian-Israeli peace process back on track, there was a need to place similar importance on the  Lebanese-Israeli and the Syrian-Israeli tracks, which were integral parts of the overall peace process. <\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>The continued occupation of southern Lebanon by Israel constituted one of the main stumbling  blocks to a comprehensive settlement  of the Middle East issue.  Israel's repeated justification of its military presence there was clearly unacceptable  and would only  ensure continued hostility between Israel  and Lebanon,  rather than  improve  the prospects  for peace.  The Israeli Government ought to have realized by now  that its long-term peace and  security  could  best  be  guaranteed  not by  maintaining  a military garrison on Lebanese soil, but by building a cooperative and constructive relationship  with its neighbour based on mutual respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>He  said the understanding  reached between  President Assad  of Syria and the late Israeli Prime Minister Rabin in June  1995 represented an historic breakthrough in  the peace process between  Syria and  Israel, that  turned awry following  the assassination  of that Israeli Prime  Minister and  the subsequent hard-line approach  of the Likud Government.  It was hoped  that serious  contacts between the  Syrian and Israeli sides  would be resumed at an  early date, so as to bring about the  resumption  of  a full  and constructive dialogue between them.  Only through resumption  of  such dialogue would there  be prospects for a final political settlement  of the dispute between  them.   Also, the  permanent settlement between Syria and Israel must include the withdrawal of all Israeli forces  from the occupied Golan Heights and its return to Syria, consistent with Security Council resolution 497 (1981).<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>ALEG LAPTSENAK (Belarus) said the ongoing deadlock in  the peace process was a  matter of  concern.   The recent signing  of a  protocol between  the Israelis and  Palestinians, the creation of eight bilateral subcommittees to discuss problems,  and the  release of  Palestinian detainees gave rise to hopes that had not been realized, owing to the activities  of extremist groups and  to  Israeli settlement  construction in East Jerusalem.    The parties must refrain from unilateral measures and do their utmost to  resume dialogue  and  make  progress until a complete settlement was obtained.  Israel  should  refrain from  unilateral actions  aimed at  pre-empting the outcome of those talks, and the  Palestinian Authority must do everything in its power  to fight terrorism. That,  together with the  opening of air and seaports in Gaza, safe passage between the West Bank and Gaza, redeployment of Israeli forces, and close cooperation  on security, would restore  trust.  Belarus condemned terrorism, which could not be used to promote any goal whatsoever.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>The sharp drop in Palestinian living standards as a result of the  current deadlock was also a matter of concern, he said.  A further downturn would make  peace  unattainable.    Donors  must  redouble  efforts  to ease the situation as soon as possible.   Peace was impossible without progress between Israel and Lebanon and between Israel and  Syria on the basis  of land  for peace.   The  complete  restoration  of Lebanon's  sovereignty and territorial  integrity, based on Security Council resolution  425, was necessary.  Belarus was committed to the principle of land for peace, with full respect for the right of all  States in  the region  to live within secure, internationally recognized borders.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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\t<\/span>FERNANDO PETRELLA (Argentina) spoke of "a vicious  cycle of  frustration" in the  Middle East peace process in the past year.  He urged  parties to renew  their  commitments  to peace.   He hoped the upcoming meetings of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chairman Yasser Arafat would give positive impetus to the peace process.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>Argentina  urged the parties  to implement their previous commitments.  The building  of new  settlements in the occupied territories, especially East Jerusalem, had obstructed   the  peace process.  Settlements also predetermined the results of the negotiations,  he said, and Israel should reconsider those  measures.  He said  he condemned all  acts of violence on Israeli territory, which endangered the entire peace process.  Israel had a right to a state of peace within its boundaries. <\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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\t<\/span>It was essential, he went  on, to recreate a climate  of trust between the parties, and  to avoid extreme positions.   Bilateral  negotiations were the driving  force in  the peace  process but  the role  of the  United  Nations should not be  excluded.  The Organization  had a special responsibility  to the people of Palestine.   It was essential to reconvene peace talks between Israel and Syria,  suspended since February 1996,  and it was also important not to forget the grave situation in southern Lebanon.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>JACK WILMOT  (Ghana)  said  his  Government  was  gravely  concerned  that further implementation of  the interim  self-government arrangements  freely entered into by Israel and the  Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)  had virtually  ceased.  The present  Israeli  Government  had  embarked  on a systematic confiscation  of Arab-owned land, expansion  of settlements  and construction of  by-pass roads and quarries.   The most serious development was the decision  to build 6,500 Jewish housing  units in Jabal Abu  Ghneim.  That  project, intended to  complete the  ring of Israeli  settlements encircling Arab-populated East Jerusalem,  had brought the  peace process to a halt.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>He  said the Assembly  should  reaffirm the inadmissibility, under international law  and the  United Nations  Charter, of  the acquisition  of territory by  force.   It  should also  reiterate that  all illegal  Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied Palestinian Territory, especially settlement activities,  could  not  be  recognized, irrespective of the passage of time.  Israel  must implement measures which safeguarded the basic human rights of Palestinians and Arabs living in  the occupied territories.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>Ghana, he added, deplored  all acts of  terrorism and was relieved at  the renewal of security contacts between Israel  and the Palestinian  Authority.  However, actions  that frustrated an already  depressed and deprived  people were  likely  to provoke  unnecessary  tensions and instigate violence by extremists.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>PEDRO NUNEZ MOSQUERA (Cuba) said the  people of Palestine and all occupied Arab  territories were more than ever confronting a  crucial moment in their history.  The genuine  efforts to achieve a  just and lasting  peace in  the region  continued to be subjected to grave and hostile incidents provoked by the occupying Power, which persisted in  aggressive polices that  threatened the peace process.  That  situation was facilitated by United States support for Israel on all  fronts and particularly in the Security Council, where it did  not hide its determination  to veto any resolution  that contained firm stands against its strategic ally in the Middle East.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>He said the Declaration  of Principles, the agreement relating to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and all other subsequent agreements must be respected.  The terms  and stages of  the peace process  endorsed in many international agreements must be  met.  Support for United  Nations efforts and the peace process must be promoted.  The Assembly should  also lend its  full support to the Observer Mission  for Palestine.  The question of  Palestine was at the heart of the Middle East  conflict.  The goal  of all  concerned was to resolve that conflict by the establishment  of Palestine  as an independent state, with Jerusalem  as its capital.  Cuba supported  the application  of the Fourth Geneva Convention in all the occupied Arab territories.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>NABIL A.  ELARABY (Egypt)  regretted that  little progress  had been  made during the  past year  on  the negotiating  tracks.  There had  been  many setbacks taking the parties  back to the "pre-peace  process era".  He cited the decision of the current Israeli  Government to continue construction  of settlements in Jabal Abu Ghneim. <\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>He said he  welcomed the prospects of convening  a conference of the  High Contracting Parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention.  It  was impossible for peace to flourish in  the region with current Israeli policies.  He recalled that when Egypt had recovered its land in the Sinai by negotiations, it  was without settlements, although there had been some in  the area at the  time. That was a precedent in  making peace between Israel and  the Arabs, and  it was  why  Egypt could not accept Israel's  attempts to force settlements  on<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

the Arab side.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>He said  Israel was  determined to  alter the  demographic and  geographic character of  Jerusalem, emptying it of its Palestinian  inhabitants.  That was  in violation  of United  Nations resolutions and the  Oslo Agreement.  With continued Israeli intransigence, the peace process could not expect to get back on track. <\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>Egypt  had decided  not to  participate  in  the recent  regional economic conference,  he said,  since  there  was  a  link  between peace  and  equal economic  cooperation.  Restoration  of the occupied territories  was not a prize to be given  to the Arabs  by Israel.  A just and comprehensive peace was the  basis for  security in  the region.   Egypt called  for a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, free from all weapons of  mass destruction.  The establishment of a just and comprehensive peace required a new  outlook by Israel, including a leadership which believed in the achievement of genuine peace.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>PARK  SOO GIL (Republic of Korea) said  he would not engage in time-consuming  polemics over which side was to  blame  for  the current deadlock  in the  peace process.    It would  be more  fruitful to ask the Israelis  and Palestinians  whether  the  current  situation was  what they really wanted  and, if  not, to discuss  all remaining  issues —  including Israeli redeployment, an airport in Gaza, safe passage between Gaza and the West Bank, and  settlements. A chain of extreme actions and reactions over the past  year had eroded  trust between the two sides.  The momentum for peace might  be lost  forever if prudent  steps were not taken in the near future.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

 <\/p><\/div>\n

\n

\t<\/span>Both sides would gain from a settlement, he said.  The idea of a non-zero-sum game  should  be applied not only to the Israeli-Palestinian relationship, but  to the Israel-Lebanon and Israel-Syria  tracks as  well.  The peace  process  could be  complete  only  when the entire  Arab-Israeli relationship moved forward.  Increased  trade and  investment would contribute to peace and security.  Since peace and development were two sides of the same  coin, the Republic of Korea had earmarked $15 million between 1994 and 1998 for Palestinian rehabilitation projects, and took part in the fourth Middle East\/North Africa Economic Conference in Doha last month. <\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>Tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian relationship stemmed from the  impact of  domestic   politics in international relations,  he said.  The international community  could help, but the  most critical element was for the parties concerned to build bridges between them.  Despite setbacks,  the progress made  had proven that Israelis and Palestinians  were capable  of overcoming their present difficulties.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>IBRAHIM SAID AL-ADOUFI (Yemen) said peace in the Middle  East should be comprehensive, just and lasting, and a basis for security and prosperity.  It should  spread tolerance and peaceful co-existence among the peoples of the region.   Yemen  was  concerned at  Israel's  return  to the  policy  of settlements, including the destruction of Palestinian  houses  and  the building of  new bypass  roads around Israeli settlements.  Those  actions were  a serious  violation of agreements concluded with  the  Palestinian authority and  would contribute to an upsurge in  tension that would  upset the peace process. <\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>Yemen, he said,  stressed the need for a  final settlement which  would give  the  Palestinian people the right to self-determination, and  an independent State with Jerusalem as its  capital.  Negotiations according to international law should address all of those issues.  His country welcomed the Oslo agreements, and  also welcomed  the agreement  between Jordan  and Israel, which he hoped would  be a  prelude  to Israel's  withdrawal from Syrian and Lebanese territory.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>He said he hoped that actions of the current Israeli Government would  not lead  to  despair among the people  of  the  region  after  the  positive developments of the past.  Israel must be made to understand that the  basis of  the peace  process  could  not be  circumvented,  and that it was too important to be violated by policies that  would run contrary to international law, particularly the laws against the acquisition of territory by force and the principle of land for peace.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>Israel,  he said,  should accede to the  nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and  submit  its armaments to international inspection.  That would contribute  to freeing  the region  from all weapons of mass destruction.  Israel, he concluded, should accept the principle  of  sovereignty, and Lebanon should be compensated for damage caused in its territory.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>HISASHI  OWADA (Japan) said  Israel was  bound by the Oslo Accord and the Hebron Agreement to withdraw troops from the West Bank.  The recent decision for redeployment of some forces was vague in regard to its  extent and time-frame, and the conditions  imposed made it even more contentious.  The decision must contain specific details to be meaningful.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>He  said Japan was opposed to all forms of terrorism.   Each party must honour its commitments.  Israel must not take unilateral actions that  could jeopardize the  peace process, such as  constructing illegal settlements  on the West Bank.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\t<\/span>He  said   his  country  was  participating   in  the   peace  process by contributing economic  assistance to the Palestinians.  It was  making a new offer of $23 million in aid, of which  $12.6 million would be allocated  to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees  in the Near East (UNRWA) and $11 million to  the United Nations Development  Programme's Japan Fund for Palestinian  Development.  Japan's assistance totalled  more than $310 million.  In addition, since February  1996 Japan had participated  in the  United  Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) peace-keeping operation in the  Golan Heights, and, in January  of that  year, it sent a team to  monitor the Palestinian  elections.   The most important  factor to achieve peace was that all parties take part in negotiations in good faith.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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\t<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>    * *** *<\/p><\/div>\n

\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fifty-second General Assembly             Plenary                   60th Meeting (AM) ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS WOULD BOTH BENEFIT FROM SETTLEMENT OF MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT, GENERAL ASSEMBLY TOLD 'Non-Zero-Sum' Approach Should be Applied to Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian Tracks of Peace Process, Republic of Korea Says Rather  than engage  in  polemics  over which side was to blame for the deadlock  in the  peace  process, it would be more fruitful […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[2377,1329],"document-source":[1365],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[2237,1961,1749,1929],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-213953","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-multimedia","document-category-press-release","document-source-general-assembly","document-subject-golan-heights","document-subject-jerusalem","document-subject-palestine-question","document-subject-peacekeeping","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/213953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/213953\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=213953"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=213953"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=213953"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=213953"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=213953"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=213953"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=213953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}