UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON QUESTION OF PALESTINE OPENS IN MADRID, 17 JULY

UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON QUESTION OF PALESTINE

OPENS IN MADRID, 17 JULY

Secretary-General Calls on Parties

to Implement Mitchell Report Recommendations

(Received from a UN Information Officer.)

MADRID, 17 July -- The tragic events taking place in the Middle East underscored the urgency of pressing forward with efforts to bring calm, stabilize the situation and enable the parties to resume their dialogue, Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the opening session of the United Nations International Meeting on the Question of Palestine in Madrid this morning.  The violence must be held in check long enough to allow the parties to reach a workable solution. 

Terje Rød-Larsen, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority, read out the statement of the Secretary-General.  He said that both Israelis and Palestinians wanted a way out of the violence and suffering.  The leaders on both sides must show the political will and courage to resume the peace talks.  Now was the time to consolidate the fragile ceasefire and to implement the recommendations of the Mitchell Report.  The ceasefire, the cooling-off period and confidence measures were critical steps on the way to resuming a meaningful political dialogue. 

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Spain, Josep Piqué, said the international community must take advantage of the fragile window of opportunity opened by diplomatic efforts.  The recommendations of the Mitchell Report must be implemented without delay.  The establishment of some kind of international supervisory mechanism would contribute to the peace process.  Palestinians must be able to see an end to the occupation and the creation of a viable and democratic Palestinian State, and Israelis must be guaranteed their right to live in peace and security.

In a few months, he said, Spain would assume the Presidency of the European Union.  It would spare no effort to contribute to the creation of conditions necessary to achieve a just and lasting peace for all the people of the region.

The Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Ibra Deguène Ka, said he deplored the Israeli tactic of using isolated incidents of violence as a pretext to delay indefinitely compliance with Mitchell Report recommendations such as the freeze on settlement activity.  A fixed framework for the implementation of those recommendations was needed together with an impartial mechanism to monitor their compliance. Anything less would perpetuate the unjust status quo of occupation and aggression and increase the desperation and instability in the entire region.

He added that the heart of the question of Palestine was the illegal occupation by Israel of the Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, the illegal settlement activity and other illegal policies and practices.  The Committee would continue to call on the Government of Israel to respect and abide by the principles of the 1949 Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and the provisions of relevant United Nations resolutions.

The theme of the two-day meeting, convened by the Palestinian Rights Committee, is “The Road to Israeli-Palestinian Peace”.  Experts this afternoon will assess the Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, including the Madrid peace process; the Oslo Accords and subsequent agreements and understandings; interim and permanent status negotiations -- progress and obstacles; and recent developments in the peace process.  In other sessions, panellists will focus on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the road to peace. 

A United Nations Non-Governmental Organization Meeting in Solidarity with the Palestinian People will follow the last plenary of the international meeting to review action by the international civil society.  Experts will discuss mobilizing public opinion in support of the Palestinians.  Participants will also review actions by non-governmental organizations worldwide and the development of action-oriented proposals and mechanisms for their implementation.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Egypt, Malaysia, China, India and Indonesia.  Representatives of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the League of Arab States (LAS) also spoke.

      Opening Statements

JOSEP PIQUE, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Spain, said his Government had gladly acceded to the request by the United Nations that an international meeting on the question of Palestine be held in Madrid because of its firm commitment to the peace process in the Middle East and its support for any efforts that contributed to achieving a just and lasting peace in the region. 

He said that despite numerous diplomatic efforts undertaken by the international community, and the efforts of the Palestinian Authority to stop the violence, the situation in general terms had continued to deteriorate.  It would go on if the process could not be recovered and put back on the right track.  The illegal raids by the Israelis into the territories under the control of the Palestinian Authority and their disproportionate and excessive use of force, the terrorist attacks carried out by radical Palestinians, the continuation of the settlement policy, the demolitions of Palestinian homes and the extrajudicial executions were some of the links in the spiral of violence that must be halted.  It was urgent to grapple with the deep-rooted causes that motivated such actions.

He said there was a grave deterioration in the living conditions in the Territories and a substantial undermining of the resources of the Palestinian Authority.  In the final analysis, the situation would have an impact on the Israeli economy.  There was a grave risk for regional stability as well.  He

emphasized that the changed signal in Israeli voting during the last elections could not be attributed to unwillingness for peace but to a grave sense of insecurity. 

This was a difficult and acute time, he said.  The situation was serious and almost unbearable.  The international community must take advantage of the fragile window of opportunity opened by diplomatic efforts.  It was necessary to implement without delay the recommendations of the Mitchell Report.  The establishment of some kind of international supervisory mechanism would contribute to the peace process.  Palestinians must be able to see an end to the occupation and the creation of a viable and democratic Palestinian State, and Israelis must be guaranteed their right to live in peace and security.  It was also necessary to achieve a just and lasting solution to the questions of Jerusalem and that of the refugees, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, international legitimacy and the agreements signed by the parties. 

In a few months, he said, Spain would assume the Presidency of the European Union.  It would spare no effort to contribute to the creation of conditions necessary to achieve a just and lasting peace for all the people of the region. 

KOFI ANNAN, Secretary-General of the United Nations, in a statement read out on his behalf by his Representative, United Nations Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, TERJE ROED-LARSEN, said that September last, violence in the region had claimed over 600 lives, many of them children, with thousands injured.  The vast majority of those killed and wounded were Palestinians.  The last tragic event had taken place yesterday resulting in the loss of life of innocent Israeli civilians.  That was an unacceptable act of terrorism.  He condemned all acts of terrorism.  The crisis had deepened the sense of anger, bitterness and suspicion between the Israelis and the Palestinians.  Those tragic events underscored the urgency of pressing forward with efforts to bring calm, stabilize the situation and enable the parties to resume their dialogue.  The idea was to hold violence in check long enough to allow the parties to reach a workable solution.

In the past several weeks, he said, international efforts to resolve the crisis had intensified.  Both sides had indicated that they accepted the Mitchell Committee Report in all its parts.  Leaders on both sides must show the political will and courage to resume the peace talks to reach a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and

338 (1973) and the principle of land for peace.  Last month, during his visit to the region, he had had useful discussions with Chairman Yasser Arafat, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the leaders of neighbouring countries.  He had also met with the victims of violence on both sides, many of whom were children.  Both Israelis and Palestinians wanted to find a way out of the cycle of violence and suffering.  Now was the time to consolidate the ceasefire and move swiftly to the implementation of the Report’s recommendations.  The ceasefire negotiated last month was now very fragile.  Both sides must make every effort to restore the ceasefire and move rapidly towards implementation of the Mitchell Report.  The co-sponsors and other international actors stood ready to help them implement the Report’s recommendations.  The ceasefire, the cooling-off period and confidence-building measures were critical steps on the way to resuming a meaningful political dialogue.

He reviewed the effects of military actions directed at Palestinian towns, villages and agricultural facilities as well as other Israeli policies that had brought the Palestinian economy to a standstill and said that a massive and urgent assistance programme was needed to allow Palestinians to rebuild their lives and households.  The United Nations would continue its work of rehabilitating the Palestinians economy with a special focus on emergency assistance to the Palestinian people.  The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which had provided generations of Palestinians with social services, schooling and health care, was experiencing recurrent financial problems.  He called on donors to continue to assist UNRWA and to contribute generously to its budget.  The co-sponsors and other international

parties should prevent the unravelling of the peace process.  He would do whatever it took to contribute to those peace efforts.

IBRA DEGUÈNE KA, Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, recalled that Madrid had been the venue for the 1991 Middle East Peace Conference which had set the stage for the 1993 Oslo Accords and subsequent agreements and understandings.  He said the large attendance today illustrated the concern over the current crisis and the future of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.  Spain had been very active in promoting dialogue and cooperation in the Mediterranean region, most notably between the European Union and countries of North Africa and the Middle East.  It continued to play a constructive role in overall efforts to bring calm to the region and to revive the peace process.

There had been limited progress since the acceptance in mid-June by the parties of a United States-brokered ceasefire, he said.  Events in recent months, however, amounted to a virtual reversal of that progress, resulting in a humanitarian, economic, security and political crisis of major proportions.  He was alarmed by the continuing violence and the Israeli Defence Forces’ (IDF) excessive use of force:  helicopter gunships, missiles and tanks were routinely used.  Armed settlers often took the law into their own hands, harassing and assaulting Palestinians civilians, destroying their property and using lethal force against innocent civilians.  In view of those actions, the Committee had always maintained that an international protection force should be deployed in occupied Palestine.  The Committee also joined the world community’s condemnation of the practice of extra-judicial killings of Palestinian officials by Israeli security forces, a policy which was contrary to international law and a violation of the recently signed ceasefire agreement.

He supported the balanced findings of the Mitchell Committee report and urged the swift implementation of its recommendations in their entirety.  He deplored the Israeli tactic of using isolated incidents of violence as a pretext to delay indefinitely compliance with recommendations such as the freeze on settlement activity.  A fixed framework for the implementation of the Mitchell Report recommendations was needed together with an impartial mechanism to monitor compliance.  Anything less would perpetuate the unjust status quo of occupation and aggression and increase the desperation and instability in the entire region.  The heart of the question of Palestine was the illegal occupation by Israel of the Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, the illegal settlement activity and other illegal policies and practices.  The Committee would continue to call on the Government of Israel to respect and abide by the principles of the 1949 Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and the provisions of relevant United Nations resolutions.

He said repeated closures of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, restrictions on the movement of people and goods, withholding of customs and income tax and other measures of collective punishment had had a disastrous effect on the economy and the livelihood of individual Palestinian families.  Jobs and markets in Israel had become inaccessible, tourists were staying away, food crops

had been razed, access to fields had been denied and infrastructure had been

destroyed.  There was real concern over the fiscal crisis of the Palestinian Authority, its institutions and its ability to continue to function.

The tenth anniversary of the Madrid Conference was an opportunity for reflection, to take stock of the accomplishments and failures of the peace process over the last decade, he said.  That progress could not be allowed to wane.  The United Nations should continue to maintain its permanent responsibility towards all the aspects of the question of Palestine until it was resolved in conformity with relevant resolutions, international legitimacy and realization of all the rights of the Palestinian people.  He encouraged the close engagement of the Secretary-General and called on the co-sponsors of the peace process, the European Union, the Non-Aligned Movement, other regional groups and all other actors with an international presence to complement those efforts. 

MIGUEL ANGEL MORATINOS, Special Envoy of the European Union to the Middle East Process, said that the peace process was an effort that must be maintained. Peace was possible and the international community must underscore its commitment to peace.  Violence resulted in more violence and efforts to halt it had been in vain.  The many initiatives for peace had come up against the same wall of obstinacy because of a few who did not want to look at the formula for peace.  There was mistrust on both sides.  Those who fuelled the violence were destroying peace and putting the parties on the path to war.  The international community must not only prevent conflicts but also establish a process of democracy for peace.

He said there was no doubt of the will of the respective governments for peace.  While that political will did not appear obvious today, it was perhaps because of the frustration and confusion.  The hope was that the will of the international community would find a way out of the situation.  There were several instruments for peace including, most recently, the recommendations of the Mitchell Report.  The report’s recommendations must be implemented before they became a dead letter.

For the first time, he said, there was a loss of trust in one’s own side and the Israeli peace camp had cast doubt on the possibility of reaching peace. That perception worked in favour of the hard-liners.  Europe could not accept the extrajudicial executions.  Calling attention to the serious deterioration of the political and economic situation for both Palestinians and Israelis, he said the European Union had tried to help eliminate the economic difficulties of the Palestinians and to support the viability of the Palestinian Authority. 

He said peace was possible but it required the political will to move ahead. The current situation must not be allowed to lead to a worse one.  There were significant efforts by the Palestinian Authority to curb the violence but more must be done and the international community must support those efforts.  The greater the effort for peace on both sides the more likely that peace would be attained.

YASSER ABED RABBO, Minister for Information, Culture and Arts, Palestinian Authority, Representative of Palestine, said it was impossible for the Israeli occupation and the accompanying denial of the rights of the Palestinian people to continue.  Calling attention to Israel’s lack of respect for United Nations resolutions and its flouting of international legitimacy, he said that successive Israeli Governments had continued to breach the accords that had been concluded.  All of the recommendations of the Mitchell Report supported an end to the violence.  The world must not seek partial solutions in the face of the daily persecution of Palestinians.  Hundreds of people had been wounded, homes destroyed, land confiscated, trees uprooted and workers prevented from gaining access to their work place.  As in other regions under occupation, towns and villages were blockaded.  School children were prevented from getting to school and the sick from getting to hospital.  Under a system of racial discrimination, settlers committed crimes against Palestinians with impunity.

He said Palestinians rejected violence because they were a people who had suffered from violence.  He regretted the campaign in Israel and the United States that equated the victim with those who violated the rights of the victim. In the world today, was there any other state that talked about the right of political assassination? he asked.  Where else was there a responsible government which held the purse strings of the financial development of another state, he continued.  United States policies were based on Israeli falsehoods and language designed to mobilize international public opinion in favour of the actions of Sharon.

He said Palestinians were seeking to end the dangerous threat to the region. The Israelis should not talk about stopping violence simply as a pretext for continuing violence against the Palestinians.  There must be an international mechanism to check and monitor the situation and to stop the growth of Israeli settlements.  He expressed appreciation for the efforts of the United Nations, which had made a maximum effort to support the peace process.  That and the efforts of the international community as a whole would continue to give rise to a needed international presence. 

He appealed to Israelis to not let the campaign of occupation hoodwink them. He urged them to shake hands with Palestinians and join in reviving the peace process.

Statements

The representative of Egypt said the Palestinians could not be asked to be silent.  Those who championed human rights and general freedoms should realize that Palestinian rights were being violated daily in the occupied territories.  Israel could not continue its embargo against the Palestinians and at the same time complain about security.  He called on the Israeli Government to implement its commitment to the recommendations of the Mitchell Report and he supported the establishment of an international supervisory mechanism in the Territories. He asked Israel to cease its threats against the Palestinian people.  The continuation of the Israeli occupation and the use of force would not bring peace to the region.  He hoped that under the Spanish presidency of the European Union, the Union would play a greater role in the peace process.

The representative of Malaysia said it was important for the peace process to be revived, as time was “not on our side”.  Faith in a peaceful solution of the conflict must be rekindled.  The Mitchell Report provided a good basis to break the deadlock and build a bridge back to the negotiating process.  It was time for the international community to step in to salvage the situation which was now on the brink of total collapse.  The Oslo and Madrid accords must be pieced together on an urgent basis.  That would only happen if the Israeli Government desisted from pursuing a military solution and pursued instead, dialogue and negotiation.  He commended the Palestinian Authority for unambiguously accepting the Mitchell Report and regretted that the Israeli Government continued to reject major parts of the report, including the call for complete cessation of settlement activity.

He said that Europe, with the vast diplomatic and other assets at its disposal, could and should be more engaged in the process.  With its good relations with countries in the region, Europe would be an important and welcome interlocutor.  He hoped that Europe would take up the diplomatic challenge and opportunity.  To enable such efforts to make any headway, Israel should desist from further military action and not launch large military operations or full-scale invasion against the Palestinian Authority as was widely speculated.  That would deliver a catastrophic blow to whatever remained of the peace process. 

The representative of China said that the negotiations on the final status of Palestine had been postponed time and again.  The Israelis had used force to cause sizeable loss and humiliation to the people, pushing the peace process to the brink of collapse.  He opposed and condemned such Israeli acts.  Conflicts and confrontation only led to increased hostility between the parties and a magnification of the problems. 

United Nations resolutions and the principle for land for peace must be the basis for the Middle East process, he said.  The question of Palestine was the key to the Middle East process.  He welcomed all international efforts of mediation.  As a permanent member of the Security Council, his Government had actively worked through different channels to achieve a solution.  It had encouraged Israel to use a moderate policy and to restrain its use of force.  He hoped the parties would cooperate with international mediation efforts.  His Government would continue to work for a total solution to the Middle East problem, including Palestine.

The representative of India said his Government had fully supported the Palestinian Authority since its inception and extended all possible assistance and political support.  India would continue to give material and technical assistance to the people of Palestine so as to enable them to consolidate their gains towards self-government.  He expressed concern over the tragic cycle of violence that had engulfed the Middle East region during the last nine months.  An unfortunate accomplishment was the severe impoverishment of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.  He joined international demands that restrictions on the Palestinians by Israel should be eased immediately.  Funds that were due to the Palestinian Authority should be made available.

He also expressed concern over Israel’s settlement construction activity. The overriding necessity was for all sides to exercise the utmost restraint, to avoid and indeed break the cycle of violence and counter-violence so as to calm the situation and create an atmosphere conducive to the resumption of dialogue. There was no military solution to any conflict.  

The representative of Indonesia said the international community could no longer sit idly by and bear witness to a progressively deteriorating situation spiralling out of control with ramifications not only for the occupied territories but also for the region and beyond.  The gravity of that ongoing conflict demanded that the Security Council reconsider its position as a matter of urgency, to dispatch an international observer force to the occupied territories in line with its mandate to maintain international peace and security as called for by the United Nations Charter. 

He said that the struggle of the Palestinian people was a tragedy in the contemporary history of mankind.  Indonesia had supported the Palestinian just cause from the outset as consistent with the principles and objectives enshrined in its own constitution.  His Government sought for the Palestinian people nothing more than what it had achieved for its own people –- true independence and justice, in true freedom and dignity.  It was imperative that the United Nations leaves no stone unturned to protect the Palestinian people.

The representative of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) said Israeli acts of barbarity had led to the death of more than 600 Palestinians.  Israeli restrictions abrogated the right of movement.  They continued to confiscate lands and to allow settlers the freedom to attack Palestinians, their lands and their crops.  The cordoning off of the Palestinian territories had led to the collapse of the Palestinian economy.  Social services such as health care were deteriorating.  Meanwhile, total freedom was given to the Israeli settlers.

The Israelis were trying to remove President Arafat.  They did not conceal their intentions.  They not only had designs against Palestinians but against all Arabs in the region.  Israel had not respected the ceasefire.  The Israelis invaded the territory under the Palestinian Authority and continued to destroy entire Palestinian neighbourhoods in Jerusalem on the pretext that no permits had been given for building those premises.  People had been expelled from their homes so that Israelis could take over their properties.  Gangs of settlers cut off electricity and water sources.  Palestinians saw their water being siphoned off in broad daylight while the international community did nothing.  The United States was aiding Israel, while Israel rejected any international regional assistance to the Palestinians.

Israeli politicians and religious leaders had tried to divide the Al-Aqsa mosque into several parts.  It showed the true face of Israeli designs.  Such actions called for a firm position by the international community, which must assume its responsibilities and bring to trial all those guilty of crimes against mankind and against the Palestinians.  The Israeli grip over the Palestinian territory must be loosened.

The representative of the League of Arab States said that since the Madrid Conference, the peace process had passed through many stages.  The League of Arab States had considered the Madrid agreement an important step for peace.  There had been agreements between Palestinians and successive Israeli Governments.  As an inevitable result of the frustration felt by the Palestinians and the provocation carried out by Sharon, the Al-Aqsa intifada began.  He said that Sharon’s plans, as established in 1997, had as their main objective, changing the demographics of the area in order to maintain an upper hand.  That involved setting up Jewish colonies in Palestinian lands and building roads between those more than

20 settlements so that within 20 to 30 years, there would be more than a million new settlers.  He said that Israel had also planned to set up a new Palestinian Administration under another authority.  All of that was taking place under the eyes of the international community.  The chief of the Central Intelligence Agency, George Tenet had only concentrated on security. 

The League of Arab States was determined to provide the utmost political and economic support to the Palestinian people.  The Palestinian people had united their national forces towards one objective to face all challenges.  He welcomed the efforts of the Secretary-General whom he hoped would take the necessary steps to thwart Israeli aggression.  He was shocked by the attitude of the political parties of Israel, parties that had said they favoured peace. Palestinians were ready to implement their right to self-defence with whatever means they found at their disposal.  Sharon would try to become the king of Israel on the bodies of innocent Palestinians.  He called on the Governments of the European Union to stand with the Palestinians in their crisis.

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