United Nations Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process

 

to Convene in Brussels, 28-29 June

 

BRUSSELS, 23 June (Division for Palestinian Rights) — The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will convene the United Nations International Meeting in Support of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process, on 28 and 29 June 2011 in Brussels, Belgium.  The theme of the Meeting is “The role of Europe in advancing Palestinian statehood and achieving peace between Israelis and Palestinians”.  The venue of the Meeting will be the Résidence Palace - International Press Center.

The Meeting will aim at contributing to international efforts at achieving peace between Israelis and Palestinians by looking at the role of Europe in advancing a two-State solution.  It will take stock of 20 years of European efforts to promote Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking; examine current efforts at resuming direct negotiations for a permanent settlement; and look at alternatives to the negotiating process, including achieving a two-State solution through multilateral mechanisms.  The Meeting will also consider current European political initiatives, including the parameters for a negotiated settlement, endorsed by the European Union in April 2011, as well as the role of parliamentarians and civil society in promoting peace.

The opening session, on 28 June, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., is expected to feature Michel Goffin, Deputy Director-General for Multilateral Affairs and Globalization and Representative of Belgium; a representative of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Abdou Salam Diallo, Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People; and a representative of Palestine.

Plenary I, entitled “Peace or process — Taking stock of 20 years of European efforts to promote Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking,” will run from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on 28 June.  The sub-themes of the session will be:  “From Madrid to Oslo:  Laying the foundation for direct negotiations”; “Creating a framework for a permanent settlement of the conflict”; “The Arab Peace Initiative”; and “The Quartet and its Road Map”.  Expected speakers include:  Véronique De Keyser, Member of the European Parliament, Brussels; Neve Gordon, Professor, Department of Politics and Government, Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel; Abdelaziz Aboughosh, Ambassador of Palestine to Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur; and Clare Short, Former Member of the British Parliament, London.

Plenary II, entitled “The urgency of realizing a two-State solution”, will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on 29 June.  The sub-themes of the session will be:  “Current efforts at resuming direct negotiations for a permanent settlement”; “Palestinian readiness for statehood”; “International recognition of the State of Palestine — the position of the EU and its Members”; and “Alternatives to the negotiating process:  Achieving a two-State solution through multilateral mechanisms, including the United Nations”.  Expected speakers include:  Maxwell Gaylard, Deputy United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Jerusalem; Sahar Qawasmi, Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Hebron; Leila Shahid, General Delegate of Palestine to the European Union, Brussels; and Nawaf Salam, Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations, New York.

Plenary III, entitled “Supporting Israeli-Palestinian peace — Raising the role of Europe”, will run from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on 29 June.  The sub-themes of the session will be:  “Political initiatives by the European Union and its Members”; “The parameters for a negotiated two-State settlement endorsed by the European Union”; and “The role of parliamentarians and civil society”.  Expected speakers include:  Proinsias de Rossa, Member of the European Parliament, Chair of the European Parliament's Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council, Brussels; Christian Jouret, Middle East Advisor, European External Action Service, Brussels; Simon Petermann, Honorary Professor, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium; Avraham Burg, Former Speaker of the Knesset, Jerusalem; and Pierre Galand, Chairman, European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine, Former Senator, Belgian Parliament, Brussels.

The closing session, on 29 June, from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., is expected to feature representatives of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, as well as Palestine.

All sessions of the Meeting will be open to the media.  The official languages will be English and French.

Updated versions of the programmes, as well as information on previous meetings, will be available on the website of the Division for Palestinian Rights, United Nations Secretariat, at http://www.un.org/depts/dpa/qpal/calendar.htm.

The report on the meetings will be issued, in due course, as a publication of the Division for Palestinian Rights.

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For information media • not an official record