RAMALLAH, May 12, 2009 (WAFA)- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed, Monday, the need to generate momentum in the Palestinian Israeli peace process, warning that the situation on the ground could worsen easily without fresh efforts by both sides as well as the international community.
“After the inconclusive results of last year’s negotiations, and the bloodshed in Gaza, the last three months witnessed almost no progress on the two key resolutions – 1850 and 1860,” Mr. Ban told yesterday’s Security Council meeting, chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The Council, in the two resolutions adopted earlier this year, called for a durable and fully respected ceasefire, prevention of the illicit supply of weapons to Gaza; reopening of the crossings in accordance with the Agreement on Movement and Access; and progress on Palestinian reconciliation under the legitimate Palestinian National Authority.
“The challenge is to begin implementing transformative changes on the ground; and to kick-start a renewed and irreversible drive to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian agreement,” stated Mr. Ban.
The Secretary-General cited the need to be “determined as we are patient, as insistent as we are supportive, as principled as we are empathetic to the very real concerns of both parties,” adding that the parties need confidence that the process will address their vital interests.
They also need confidence that commitments made will be commitments monitored and commitments kept, he added, noting a “deep crisis of confidence” among ordinary people on the ground.
Mr. Ban noted that in the period ahead, United States President Barack Obama will host the Palestinian and Israeli leaders and key regional parties in Washington. He also expected that the Middle East Quartet, comprising the UN, European Union, Russia and US, will meet soon.
“Like a bicycle that falls over when left at a standstill, the situation on the ground could easily deteriorate unless proper direction is given and real momentum is quickly generated,” he stated.
“Settlement expansion and closure will not bring Israel security or peace. And no two-State solution can be reached if the situation between Gaza and southern Israel continues on its present destructive course, or if Palestinians remain permanently divided,” said the Secretary-General.
Mr. Ban called on the parties to honor all existing agreements and previous commitments and pursue an irreversible effort towards the two-State solution, including by fully implementing commitments on the ground.
“I also believe the international community’s credibility is at stake,” he added. “We are a long way from where we hoped to be when we embarked on a fresh push for peace less than two years ago. However, I take heart that there is a deep consensus about the scale of the challenge and the importance of meeting it.”
In a presidential statement read out by Mr. Lavrov at the end of the meeting, the Council stressed the urgency of reaching comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
“Vigorous diplomatic action is needed to attain the goal set by the international community – lasting peace in the region, based on an enduring commitment to mutual recognition, freedom from violence, incitement and terror, and the two-State solution, building upon previous agreements and obligations,” it stated.
The full text of presidential statement S/PRST/2009/14 reads as follows:
“The Security Council stresses the urgency of reaching comprehensive peace in the Middle East. Vigorous diplomatic action is needed to attain the goal set by the international community -- lasting peace in the region, based on an enduring commitment to mutual recognition, freedom from violence, incitement and terror, and the two-State solution, building upon previous agreements and obligations.
“In this context the Security Council recalls all its previous resolutions on the Middle East, in particular resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002), 1515 (2003), 1850 (2008), 1860 (2009), and the Madrid principles, and the Council notes the importance of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.
“The Security Council encourages the Quartet’s ongoing work to support the parties in their efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.
“The Security Council reiterates its commitment to the irreversibility of the bilateral negotiations built upon previous agreements and obligations. The Council reiterates its call for renewed and urgent efforts by the parties and the international community to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on the vision of a region where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders.
“The Security Council further calls upon the parties to fulfil their obligations under the Performance-Based Road-map refraining from any steps that could undermine confidence or prejudice the outcome of negotiations on all core issues.
“The Security Council calls on all States and international organizations to support the Palestinian Government that is committed to the “Quartet” principles and the Arab Peace Initiative and respects the commitments of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and the Council encourages tangible steps towards intra-Palestinian reconciliation, including in support of Egypt’s efforts, on this basis. It calls for assistance to help develop the Palestinian economy, to maximize the resources available to the Palestinian Authority and to build Palestinian institutions.
“The Security Council supports the proposal of the Russian Federation to convene, in consultation with the Quartet and the parties, an international conference on the Middle East peace process in Moscow in 2009.”
