NEW YORK, August 24, 2006 (WAFA) - Pakistan told the UN Security Council that Israel's 38 year occupation of the Palestinian and Arab territories is the root cause of the conflicts in the Middle East, and made a strong plea for peaceful settlement.

In a press release, Minister at Pakistan UN Mission, Imtiaz Hussain said "the visible and often brutal suppression of the Palestinian people is also a principal root cause of the rise of extremism across the Arab and Muslim world and of the resort to terrorism"

He added "clearly, the root cause of the Israeli-Lebanon conflict, the root of the Palestinian resistance, the root cause of the suicide bombings and rocket attack, is Israel's 38 year occupation of the Palestinian and Arab territories."

Elaborating on the Israel- Palestinian conflict, he said "the structure of a durable peace in the Holy land was well-known: the vision of the two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side with secure and recognized borders."

To realise that vision, the Council must secure the non-selective implementation of its own resolutions, as well as the provisions of the Arab peace initiative and the Quartet- backed Road map, Hussain added.

The press release concluded that " Pakistan's hope that the peaceful solution of the Middle East's disputes will not be further exacerbated by arbitrary dealines and precipitate actions on their problems in the area."

E.B. (15:30 P) (12:30 GMT)