‘We Have Tried to Climb Mountain of Comprehensive Settlement Before, but Have

Fallen Short; This Time, We Must Go All the Way,’ Secretary-General Says

 

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee Meeting, as delivered by B. Lynn Pascoe, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, in New York, 21 September:

When President [Mahmoud] Abbas and Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu launched direct negotiations earlier this month, they set their Governments and peoples, and all of us as their partners, on a clear course.  They are seeking a peace agreement before this time next year — one that resolves all the core issues between Israelis and Palestinians.  This is a daunting task, but one for which they have the full support of the international community.

The leaders have embarked on this course on firmer foundations than in the past.  Thanks to the progress achieved by the Palestinian Authority in recent years, the basis for a Palestinian State is being finalized — a State that would be a source of pride for its citizens, hope for the region, and security for both peoples.  I commend Prime Minister [Salam] Fayyad and his Government for the scale of their achievements and their determination to do more.  I also acknowledge the important steps of enablement that Israel has taken to support these efforts.

The cooperation we have seen to date must be taken to a new level of intensity, speed, scope and ambition.   Israel and the Palestinian Authority must work as partners in this endeavour.  As the Palestinian Authority rolls out the basis for statehood, Israel must further roll back its own measures of occupation.  Ordinary people need to see and feel the impact of cooperation, if they are to begin to believe in the possibility of peace.

For their part, donors, who have sustained their generosity to the Palestinian Authority over an extended period, must continue to help it to address its mounting liquidity crisis.  The United Nations will continue to align our work behind the priorities Prime Minister Fayyad’s Government has so clearly laid out.  The Quartet will give this strong political support, and I thank Quartet Representative Tony Blair for his continued focus on pushing positive changes on the ground.

We need positive change in Gaza, too.  This is a high priority for me personally and for the United Nations.  Israel’s adjusted policy has seen a wider range of products enter Gaza.  My envoy, Robert Serry, along with the United Nations Country Team, is consulting closely with the Palestinian Authority on priorities in Gaza, and appreciates the ongoing cooperation with Israel to approve a meaningful range of construction activities.  But let there be no mistake:  conditions are still very worrying, and a lot more can and must be done to empower industries, enable exports, and let people move more freely.  We have to give Gazans hope for the future, and a stake in peace.

In the year ahead, our goal is a peace agreement resting on the firm foundations of institutional readiness for statehood.  Few achievements would have such a profound impact on both Israelis and Palestinians and on the region.  We have tried to climb the mountain of a comprehensive settlement before, but we have fallen short.  This time, we must go all the way.

Thank you again for your support, and I wish you well in your deliberations.

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For information media • not an official record