SECRETARY-GENERAL DEPLORES VIOLENCE BY PALESTINIAN GROUPS, SAYS ROAD MAP IS BEST PATH TO JUST, LASTING PEACE

SECRETARY-GENERAL DEPLORES VIOLENCE BY PALESTINIAN GROUPS,

SAYS ROAD MAP IS BEST PATH TO JUST, LASTING PEACE

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General deplores the violence by Palestinian groups over the weekend.  Such violence is especially untimely following the Aqaba Summit, where the parties made a commitment to implementing the Quartet’s Road Map.

The Secretary-General calls on the parties not to allow violence, the aim of which is clearly to derail the peace process, to set the agenda.  He commends the two Prime Ministers for their recent expressions of determination to stay the course.  The Secretary-General believes that the Road Map sets out the best path to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace that would ensure the security of the peoples of the Middle East.

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