SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES ‘GENEVA ACCORD’ OUTLINING DETAILED STEPS TO RESOLVE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES ‘GENEVA ACCORD’ OUTLINING DETAILED STEPS

TO RESOLVE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

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

The Secretary-General welcomes the “Geneva Accord” drafted by prominent Israelis and Palestinians, which outlines comprehensive and detailed steps to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Such private initiatives, while not a substitute for official diplomatic negotiations between the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, deserve praise and encouragement as courageous attempts to break the stalemate on both sides and to generate the popular support needed for peace in the Middle East.

The Secretary-General considers the “Geneva Accord” both consistent and compatible with the Quartet’s Road Map, the last phase of which calls for agreement on such sensitive final status issues as Jerusalem, settlements and refugees.

It is now of paramount importance that the parties start implementing the Road Map provisions without delay.

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