USA: The United Nations Security Council discusses ways to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict

The U.N. Security Council held a special meeting on Thursday (September 21) to discuss the situation in the Middle East and ways to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who is scheduled to end his term this December emphasized once again the Security Council's failure so far in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and said that the focus must be a long term solution. "Our continued failure to resolve this conflict calls into question the legitimacy and the effectiveness of this council itself," Annan said, "The events of this summer have reminded us all how dangerous it is to leave the broader Arab-Israeli conflict unresolved and how interconnected the region's problems are." While Israeli ambassador to the U.N. Dan Gillerman pointed out that progress in reaching a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be made by following the "road map" outlined earlier. The road map lays out steps for a two-state solution in which Palestinians and the Israelis live side-by-side. "Our goal must be to rekindle the road map process without re-igniting the conflict. This requires that we act with urgency but not with recklessness. It requires that we not confuse paper with progress, or form with substance. And most of all, it requires genuine consultation, negotiation and agreement between the parties themselves. There is no other way," Gillerman said. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, while addressing the Council, said he felt how keenly the international community wanted peace in the Middle East and hoped that the "sincere and lofty promises" would be put into action. He pledged his wholehearted commitment to the international community's efforts to bring peace and stability to the region. "I would just add that we are fully committed to peace through negotiations. We are committed to international legitimacy. We are committed to the road map of the quartet and we are committed to living with our neighbours in peace and security," said Abbas. Abbas's Fatah Party lost the January elections to the militant group Hamas. The quartet of Middle East mediators issued a statement on Wednesday (September 20) supporting efforts by Abbas to form a unity government that would include Hamas and other groups and said it hoped it would "reflect" principles laid down by the group. The Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov encouraged Mr. Mahmoud Abbas to follow through with his promise for a national unity government in the Palestinian territories. "We are convinced that it is necessary to continue to provide vigourous support to the head of the Palestinians, Mr. Abbas who we welcome to this room and his efforts to establish a national unity government on a platform, reflecting a movement towards the principles of the quartet. At the same time it is important for the Palestinians to clearly understand the link between their steps to accommodate Israel and forward movement toward settlement," said Lavrov. When it was her turn to address the Security Council, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reiterated the U.S. call for the immediate release of Israeli soldiers held in both Gaza and Lebanon and said such a move would improve the "atmosphere". Earlier this week, U.S. President George W. Bush told the U.N. General Assembly he had instructed Rice to lead a new diplomatic push in the Middle East. Rice said she would try to "accelerate progress" on the U.S.-led "road map" for Middle East peace and for implementation of an agreement she helped broker last November allowing for the free access of people and goods into Gaza. She emphasized that the progress on the resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue depended on obligations on the sides of both parties. "This progress depends on many obligations that both sides must fulfil. It depends of course on a true Palestinian partner committed to peace. The United States has unequivocally declared our intention to support the re-emergence of such a partner and together with other members of the quartet, we have called upon the Palestinian authority to commit to the three principles of the quartet - renouncing terror and violence, recognizing the right of Israel to exist and accepting previous agreements and obligations, including the road map," said Rice. Speaking to reporters after the Security Council meeting, Rice said she would seek out moderate Arab leaders and try to help both sides in the Arab-Israeli conflict resolve their differences. When asked by a reporter what incentives the United States is giving Hamas "beside killing and kidnapping their leaders and killing their people" and also putting more conditions on the Palestinian people and Hamas, Rice answered, "The incentive for Hamas should be to be able to live up to the promises that it made to the Palestinian people in the elections, that they would have a better life. And, clearly a better life is only going to be won on the basis of the roadmap, on the basis of a two state solution and that two state solution can only be achieved if both parties are committed to peace." Determined to revive the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Rice also said that she planned to travel to the Middle East soon.

ITN Source | September 22, 2006

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