UNITED NATIONS SEMINAR ON ASSISTANCE TO PALESTINIAN PEOPLE OPENS

Speakers Say That Economic Peace, Prosperity Are Only

Way Forward; Stress Need for Integrated Economic Aspect to ‘Road Map’

(Reissued as received.)

GENEVA, 15 July (UN Information Service) -- A United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People opened this morning, with speakers focussing on the prerequisites of Palestinian economic recovery and the role of the international community.

Peter Hansen, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), read out a message on behalf of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in which he said that the Seminar was being held at a time of both hope and suffering for the Palestinian people.

The Secretary-General said that the answer lay in reaching a political solution through the performance of the steps required to implement the “Road Map”.  The humanitarian emergency in the occupied Palestinian territory had been exacerbated by the tightening of the stifling regime of closures and curfews, as well as by continued settlement activity and the construction of a separation wall.  The international community should continue and increase its support to the Palestinians to halt a downward spiral of social and economic despair, and to help them begin to climb a ladder towards restoration and development.  

Papa Louis Fall, Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and Chairman of the Seminar, said that the international community was faced with a situation on the ground that was not just unacceptable, but was probably the worst it had ever been.  Conditions continued to deteriorate despite efforts by the Palestinian Authority and international donors and humanitarian organizations, which were working against enormous odds in utterly frustrating conditions of the occupation.  The presentation of the Road Map and subsequent developments were just the beginning of a political progress which should culminate in the achievement of a permanent two-State solution to the conflict.

Mohammed Shtayyeh, Director of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction of the Palestinian Authority, said the Palestinian economy was in crisis.  The Palestinian economy had lived under the Israeli occupation as had the people of Palestine, and had been made complimentary and dependent on the Israeli economy.  The Road Map had been welcomed and accepted by

the Palestinian Authority unconditionally.  Palestine hoped that in response Israel would take confidence-building measures.

Representatives of China, Afghanistan, Iran, and Egypt took the floor as did speakers for the United Nations Children's Fund and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.  The vital importance of promoting and protecting the growth of the Palestinian economy was noted, as its current state was one of the causes of the violence.  It was suggested that a financial and economic dimension be included in the Road Map.  Building the Palestinian economy as soon as possible was urgently needed, they stressed, not only for easing the humanitarian disaster but also as a prerequisite for further progress in the peace process. 

The international community, speakers said, could no longer stand aside.  It needed to take a stand, to commit more funds, to end its policy of appeasement towards Israel, and to protect the Palestinian people to a greater extent.

Also offering presentations were John Dugard, Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory; and Jean Ziegler, Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the right to food.

Under the panel discussion on the dimensions of the Palestinian economic crisis, Mr. Dugard said the wall currently being constructed by Israel in the West Bank was an obstacle to economic prosperity, and an act of annexation which obstructed the prospects of the economic recovery of Palestine.  The dispute between Palestine and Israel had always been about land, historically, and this continued today.  The wall was not a temporary security measure, it was clear that it was intended to be a permanent fixture, with the aim of pushing the border of Israel further into Palestine. 

Mr. Ziegler said the right to food in the occupied territories had been seriously violated with a number of households suffering from chronic malnutrition.  The poverty rate of the population had increased significantly, affecting many of the Palestinian people.  Because of the prevailing hunger in the territories, the international community was faced with a serious violation of the right to food in the region.  However, Mr. Ziegler noted that he had been the first Special Rapporteur ever to be welcomed by the Israeli Government. 

The seminar will resume this afternoon at 3 p.m. to hold a panel discussion on the priorities for humanitarian and economic assistance for Palestine.

Opening Statements

PAPA LOUIS FALL, Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and Chairman of the Seminar, said in preliminary opening remarks that the Seminar would be an opportunity for the international community to reaffirm its will to help the Palestinian people to normalize their lives by bringing them urgent aid and humanitarian assistance, and equally by improving the ravaged Palestinian economy and by improving the quality of life of the Palestinians.  Welcoming the Road Map, the Committee had noted that the plan stipulated, among others, a series of specific measures aiming to improve the humanitarian and economic situation in the occupied territories, including Jerusalem.  The implementation of its provisions and the creation of a more favourable climate were indispensable to the Palestinian people, and were essential to the global success of the Road Map.

PETER HANSEN, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, read out a message on behalf of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, KOFI ANNAN, in which he said that the meeting was being held at a time of both hope and suffering for the Palestinian people.  The hope sprang from the outcome of the Aqaba Summit which had resulted in various positive steps.  The answer for both sides lay in reaching a political solution through the performance of the steps required to implement the Road Map.  The Quartet and the international community should hold the parties to their commitments and help them to implement the Road Map until its final goal was reached:  a permanent settlement of the conflict, based on Security Council resolutions.

But as the parties and the international community worked towards the goal of a permanent settlement, the Secretary-General’s message said, each and every day the Palestinian people suffered, living in circumstances of social and economic devastation.  The humanitarian emergency in the occupied Palestinian territory had been exacerbated by the tightening of the stifling regime of closures and curfews, as well as by continued settlement activity and the construction of a separation wall.  Israel had a right to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks, but its security should be protected using reasonable means within the boundaries of international law.  Now that the implementation of the Road Map was under way, Israel should ease its security measures so as to minimize the suffering of the Palestinians.  It should also implement in full all the recommendations of the Bertini report.  In parallel, the Palestinian Authority should continue its reforms in a transparent manner in close consultation with the international community and should act decisively to prevent terrorism.

For its part, the international community should continue and increase its support to the Palestinians to halt a downward spiral of social and economic despair, and to help them begin to climb a ladder towards restoration and development.  However, the Secretary-General's message said that vital assistance to millions of Palestinian refugees was threatened by chronic funding shortages.  Donors were called upon to contribute generously to the regular programmes as well as to emergency activities.  Ultimately, only a permanent political settlement which ended the occupation could provide a durable solution to the economic and humanitarian problems of the Palestinians.  There had never been a more important time for the Palestinian people to see that the international community was supporting their socio-economic recovery and security.  (See Press Release SG/SM/8780 of 15 July.)

PAPA LOUIS FALL, Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, recalled that the Committee had been organizing seminars on assistance to the Palestinian people since 1993.  The previous seminar, held in February 2001 in Vienna, had addressed a host of urgent humanitarian, economic and social problems.  The seminar had strived to mobilize greater support for the attainment of the legitimate economic rights of the Palestinian people, thus contributing to the broader peace efforts in the region. 

Mr. Fall said the international community was faced with a situation on the ground that was just not unacceptable but was probably the worst it had ever been.  This situation continued to deteriorate despite efforts by the Palestinian Authority and international donors and humanitarian organizations which were working against enormous odds in utterly frustrating conditions of the occupation.  As a result of the restrictions imposed by the occupying Power, the Palestinian economy had been paralyzed and poverty and malnutrition were at alarming levels.

In a most serious challenge to international law, Israeli settlements continued to encroach on Palestinian lands through relentless construction and the establishment of outposts, bypass roads and security zones in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Mr. Fall said.  Settlements were the most damaging feature of the Israeli occupation, and had been consistently regarding as illegal by the international community.  Rolling them back would be the most effective confidence-building measure.  The dismantlement of sparsely populated or virtually uninhabited settler outposts had been largely symbolic and had been met with justifiable scepticism. 

Mr. Fall said that the presentation of the Road Map and subsequent developments were just the beginning of the political progress.  It should culminate in the achievement of a permanent two-State solution to the conflict, as envisaged in Security Council resolution 1397 (2002) and further detailed in the Road Map.  The spirit of international cooperation and unity was clearly demonstrated in the cornerstone role played by the Quartet in both day-to-day and long-term peace efforts.  The determination of the international community in general, and the United States Administration in particular, to see that process through was very encouraging.

MOHAMMAD SHTAYYEH, Director of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction of the Palestinian Authority, said the Palestinian economy was in crisis.  The Palestinian economy had lived under the Israeli occupation as had the people of Palestine, and had been made complimentary and dependent on the Israeli economy.  This was a colonial form of dependency, and it was a handicap on the development of the economy itself.  Handicaps came in various forms, including curfews and the multiplicity of checkpoints.  Per capita income had declined significantly in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.  The destruction of the Palestinian infrastructure had been estimated at up to $10 billion in losses both direct and indirect by the World Bank. 

This had consequently caused a huge deficit in the Palestinian budget, he said, and the Palestinian Authority could not meet its debts or duties.  There had been delays and cancellations of certain strategic projects, for example of the Sea Port, a vital part of future infrastructure.  Unemployment was over 50 per cent, and more than 70 per cent of the Palestinian people were under the poverty line, with many living on direct assistance.  Another dimension of the crisis had brought a little light, but not the end of the tunnel.  The Road Map had yet to be tested, and required certain mechanisms for its implementation to be successful, even though it had been welcomed and accepted by the Palestinian Authority unconditionally.  The Palestinian Authority had committed itself to the Road Map, and had already taken action on this front.  For example, elections were under preparation.  It was hoped that the vision of President Bush would come to fruition.

Palestine hoped that confidence-building measures would be taken by Israel in response to the Road Map, and that the construction of the wall of separation would be halted since its aim was to tighten the control on the Palestinian community.  The Road Map needed an economic dimension because without one, it would be very difficult to achieve demilitarization if the economy was still in a negative situation.  The Road Map needed the implementation of the Israeli dimension, and international supervision to monitor this, as well as the financial dimension.  It was hoped that the Quartet would continue to function with the same energy shown over the last two years.  Regime change within the Palestinian Authority should be left up to the Palestinian people, and not to Israel, and it was hoped that the international community would recognize and support this.  

Statements

LI DONG (China) said the conflict between Israel and Palestine had caused great damage to both sides, especially to the side of the Palestinian people.  The Palestinian economy was on the verge of collapse, and the humanitarian situation in Palestine was deteriorating.  Building the Palestinian economy as soon as possible was both an urgent need for easing the humanitarian disaster and the prerequisite for further progress in the peace process.  The Chinese people and Government were very much concerned about the development of the situation in the Middle East.  Since the outbreak of the Israel-Palestine conflict in September 2000, the Chinese Government had provided economic aid to Palestine through various channels and would continue to provide assistance for the reconstruction of the Palestinian economy.

RAVAN FARHÂDI (Afghanistan) said the statistics of the economic and social situation of the Palestinian people were alarming.  The systematic destruction of institutional and physical infrastructures, along with their manpower, had reduced the post-Oslo Palestine to a shambles.  Although the international community had tried to respond to the urgent need of the Palestinian people, much of the assistance had gone to meet pressing humanitarian needs.  Unfortunately, the world community had witnessed in silence as successive generations of Palestinians had paid the price for a crime they had not committed and of which they today remained the victims.  Humanity’s conscience should not and could not any more continue to remain silent to the predicament of a people which had suffered for almost 60 years in order to achieve their legitimate right to live in peace and security alongside other civilized communities. 

KAZEM JALALI (Iran) said the Zionist regime of Israel had been waging a ruthless war against innocent Palestinian civilians.  The people of Palestine had been waking up each day to face the outrageous acts perpetrated by the Israeli forces.  The Palestinian people should enjoy Statehood and they should be able to exercise their right to self-determination.  The collective action of the international community should be drawn to help the Palestinian people to reconstruct their economy.  The Palestinian economic infrastructure had been destroyed by the Israel aggression.  The amount of the economy destroyed by Israel had been estimated to be $13 billion.  The Palestinian industrial sector had been seriously damaged as had the agricultural sector.  The Zionist regime had no respect for international norms.  However, the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, with Jerusalem as its capital, remained to be a legitimate issue.

JOHN DUGARD, Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, said the wall currently being constructed in the West Bank was an obstacle to economic prosperity, and an act of annexation which obstructed the prospects of the economic recovery of Palestine.  The dispute between Palestine and Israel had always been about land, historically, and this continued today.  The Security Council and the General Assembly had many times refused to recognize Israel’s annexations and had declared them unlawful.  The wall or fence that Israel was presently building was another step in this direction.  The wall did not follow the 1967 border between Israel and Palestine, and in fact incorporated substantial areas of the West Bank into Israel.  Its final direction was not known, even in Israel, and it appeared that this was an attempt to take critics by surprise.  It also incorporated rich Palestinian agricultural land and water sources into Israel. 

The international community had not said anything about it, and had not condemned it as an illegal wall, Mr. Dugard said.  First, this could be because of the issue of security, which today provided a reason for anything.  Secondly, this was because of the Road Map, and it appeared the Quartet was afraid to say anything that might antagonize Israel, since it was already not in favour of the Road Map.  The wall was not a temporary security measure, it was clear that it was intended to be a permanent fixture, with the aim of pushing the border of Israel further into Palestine.  It was time for the Quartet to make it clear that the wall could not change the boundaries between the States, and to discourage Israel from its construction.

The Quartet was tolerating a clear seizure of Palestinian territory in order to gain Israeli support for the Road Map, and this was a form of appeasement.  It was time to speak about the annexation of Palestinian land, since international law had a term for what was happening, and that was quite simply conquest.

MOHAMED MOUNIR LOUTFY (Egypt) thanked all the organizations that had contributed to the construction of the Palestinian economy and the legitimate issue of Palestinians' right to a State, with Jerusalem as its capital.  He said that his country would continue its efforts in the peace process and would do all in its capacity to achieve peace.  It would also pursue its support for the Palestinian Authority in its construction of the economy.  It was crucial that the Israeli occupation should come to an end.  The occupation had underestimated the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.  The peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue was a prerequisite to a durable peace in the region.

A Representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said the situation in the occupied territories had been a protracted emergency for over 36 years.  There was a need now for concerted action to end the conflict, return to normalcy, and secure a just and lasting peace.  A lot could be done, and a good starting point would be to secure a commitment from all parties to the conflict to protect children and women’s rights, and to abide by international humanitarian and human rights law.  The challenges ahead, how to capture positive developments and to build on them, were difficult for it was hard to instil optimism when the future remained unpredictable.  There was a need for evolution into a transition situation which would include capacity-building of governmental structures, as well as rapid restoration of services.  A single, integrated and coherent strategic analysis was needed for coordinated transition planning, encompassing continuing humanitarian needs during the scaling-up of recovery, reconstruction, and reintegration efforts, and setting short- to medium-term priorities and targets that articulated well together and laid the foundation for longer-term development.

MERVAT TALLAWY, Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, said that the facts and figures given about the situation in Palestine spoke for themselves.  The occupation of Palestine by Israel had been detrimental to the economic situation of that territory.  The Palestinian economy had been seriously damaged by the Israeli practices.  Because of the conflict, the economic activities in the region had been halted.  The conflict had also affected the economic growth and had increased unemployment, while it had seriously reduced the per capita income of the population in the region.  The assistance to Palestine should be seen from a global prospective, which would also help the region.  The economic efforts and economic assistance to Palestine should also be protected by the international community.  A process of rehabilitation and development of the Palestinian people should continue.

Dimensions of the Palestinian Economic Crisis

MOHAMMAD SHTAYYEH, Director of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction of the Palestinian Authority, introducing the panel discussion on the dimensions of the Palestinian economic crisis, said that when looking at the dimensions of the crisis, it was important to examine the situation and see what it looked like.  This was a situation in which the Palestinian economy, the leadership and the people were under total siege, in which Israel had employed a number of mechanisms of control, with a comprehensive colonization programme over the Palestinian territory, and this had continued, despite the Road Map.  There was a further situation that added to the misery of the economic crisis and of the Palestinian people in general, and that was the monopolization of the water resources by Israel.  There was also a policy of apartheid, which had an utterly traumatic effect on the people and economy of Palestine.

When the economic crisis was examined, the structural dimension of the relationship between Israel and Palestine was clearly unhealthy.  Palestine was heavily dependent on Israel in many dimensions, not only infrastructural but also with regards to employment.  The economy was suffering in several areas, notably the commercial sector, for many reasons.  There was no match between purchasing power and actual prices.  Palestine had more history than geography, and tourism, once an important sector, had also been hit hard.  With regards to agriculture, today it was impossible to move produce, due to the length of time wasted at checkpoints.  There had been a total collapse of the private sector activities, which were totally paralyzed and could not progress.  This was not a situation of crisis, but a situation of collapse, and without the international assistance that had been provided, the collapse would have taken place far earlier. 

Palestinians were coping mainly thanks to international assistance, as well as thanks to their wide experience of the situation.  Most of the countries which had contributed in the past to short-term development had continued even with the change of situation and were now contributing to long-term development and humanitarian assistance.  An addition to the misery was the wall that had been constructed, notably since it had been constructed in the most fertile areas, thus depriving the Palestinian people even further.  Palestine had been completely disengaged from trade within the area of the Middle East, and was today heavily dependent on international aid for everything.  There was a vital need to help the Palestinian people to rebuild their economy, and to move forward towards peace and prosperity. 

JEAN ZIEGLER, Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Commission on the right to food, said he had been recently on mission to the occupied Palestinian territory where he had made a number of observations.  The right to food and the right to have uninterrupted access to food should allow individuals to be free from want.  The right to food in the occupied territory had been seriously violated with a number of Palestinian households suffering from chronic malnutrition.  Relevant documents, including that of the World Bank, had indicated the collapse of the gross domestic product of the Palestinian economy.  Those who were working in Israel had been prevented from going to work, which had had serious consequences on the income of families.  The poverty rate, which was 61.8 per cent of the population, had been on the increase, affecting many of the Palestinian people.

Mr. Ziegler said that because of the prevailing hunger in the territory, the international community was faced with a serious violation of the right to food in the region.  As a result of the blockade practised by the occupying authorities, and the lack of a transportation system, merchandise was unable to circulate from one place to another.  That situation had prompted a reduction in food supply, and that had led to a violation of the right to food.  The building of walls was disastrous to the right to food of the Palestinians for it deprived them from having access to their agricultural land.  The acts of confiscation of land should be stopped and the Road Map should be implemented.

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