YouSaid · the spoken record

Peres

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS PERES

lines on the record: 98
first: 1987-09-24
most recent: 2001-09-24
sittings or episodes: 5
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“We must overcome the dangers so that our children will again be raised in a world of almost limitless opportunities. It can be done. We have learned in Jerusalem that we can make a promised land into a land of promise for all of us.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Yet we do not have organized world institutions to secure the globe and distribute wealth more justly. Two courses are open to every State: either to join the new economy or to submit to old terror; the creation of wealth or the threat of death. Each must make its own choice between the promise of economy or protest by terror. The Global Compact initiated by the Secretary-General offers us a road map to the former. It defines the functions and contributions of the United Nations and imposes responsibilities on all of us — nation States, the private sector and civil society. It provides us with hope that, even as crises exist, obscuring the opportunities just visible from the corner of our eyes, the path to progress is clear to all with the courage to embrace it. We woke up to the twenty-first century with such optimism.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We know that terror can never win if people protect and preserve their fundamental security. Terror is strong as long as anti-terror is weak and terror is frightening as long as people are afraid of it. Terror basically represents cowardliness and does not serve any real purpose. Terror neither follows justice nor serves goals. It is not a remedy; it is a malady. 12 We are at a juncture. The world is pursuing new opportunities and frontiers. No longer will it be a world divided between developed and underdeveloped nations, black and white or men and women. It will become a world where every person will have access to knowledge and opportunity to participate in the new genesis. States have become weaker economically and strategically because economy and strategy have themselves become global.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“The Palestinian Authority, which is a State in being, must establish one authority over all arms, all armies and all use of arms, not for the sake of Israel, but for the sake of peace and for the sake of its own destiny, so that bullets will not negate ballots. As long as terror persists, Israel has no choice but to defend its people. The word “terror” does not describe an abstract dilemma for us. It refers to a reality of between 30 to 40 violent incidents every day — shootings, bombings, ambushes and killings. It is perpetrated by suicide bombers who have no respect for life, either their own or that of others. The only place they can be intercepted is at the point from which they depart. Israel is, by definition, an experienced member of the anti-terror camp.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“The division is no longer between East and West, North and South, but between the union to stop terror and those who refuse to recognize its menace. The assembly against terror comprises most of humanity: the United States, Europe, China, Russia, India, South America, many countries in Africa and many countries in the Muslim world. Democracies must have a non-democratic institution to defend themselves. Armies are non- democratic, but without them democracy would not prevail. You may have many views in a democratic society, but only one authority that controls the military and its arms. Armies must be subordinate to the elected political body, but if you have one political authority and several armed groups, you can have neither democracy nor security.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“In modern times, you cannot have real security dependent only on fences, walls, fortifications or trenches; not even on tanks and guns and missiles. All these measures have already become anti-measures, making them incomplete and temporary. The only strategy that cannot be ignored is neighbourly relations, such as the common market in Europe, the Rio Group in Latin America, the North American Free Trade Agreement in North America, the Association of South-East Asian Nations in Asia and the New Partnership for African Development in Africa. All these frameworks have shown that answers to old historical, military and political conflicts may reside in the economic domain. What endangers the new solution is terror. Terror is again endangering the world.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Just as one cannot applaud with one hand, there cannot be a one-handed peace. Problems, naturally, have a date of birth. Solutions must reach their maturity. It may not happen at once, but it will happen. Yesterday, you would hardly find, for example, support for a Palestinian State and, although this is not yet a formal policy of the Government of Israel, there is now support for Palestinian independence and for a Palestinian State. We do not want to dominate the Palestinians; we want them to breathe freedom, to create a new economy, to maintain their traditions, to enjoy the highest level of education and to provide real security to all parties. As far as Israel is concerned, we are convinced that good neighbours are better than good guns.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Right now it looks as if we are again sinking into the past. The emotional conflict is greater than the territorial gap. It is more difficult to muster the strength and summon the spirit than to divide the land. In spite of these difficulties, I daresay there is a hidden opportunity in the vast divide. I feel strongly that while we cannot recover lost time, we can introduce a new vista in the Middle East. Until now, the world related to the Middle East. Now the Middle East has to relate to the new world. Our neighbours — Palestinians and Arabs — know that Israel is committed to contribute whatever it can to renew a real peace process — not by force, not by imposition, not by unilateral action, but through a negotiated agreement, an agreed peace. There is no peace but an agreed peace.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“It is the responsibility of affluent nations to share the wealth of knowledge so that others can join them. Rich countries should become a locomotive for the deprived, not a luxury liner for the privileged. 11 We pray wholeheartedly from the great and united city of Jerusalem, as we did in the early days of our existence, that we shall know again how to distinguish between good and evil, between tohu va’vo-hu — chaos — and a new tomorrow. Our region gave birth to the greatest prophets, their moral dictums setting the moral fabric of our society. They have guided us to trust and follow reason and realism. But we were forced to follow funerals more than reason. This has exacted a heavy price from Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze. It is time that we rediscovered the Ten Commandments, holy to all of us.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“It has extended an open invitation to every country to acquire computers, widen education, open its gates and join a new age without giving up its old values and traditions. The new world economy called for an assembly of responsible nations to build a dam against terror, knowing perfectly well that the fight against terror cannot be postponed, cannot be forgiven, cannot be compromised. It is a matter of life and death for humanity in the new chapter of our existence. All of us, nations and individuals, will either contribute to safety and freedom or become targets of death and backwardness. Every country must choose its place in the new world, either in the realm of science and technology or in the wastebasket of the old land economy, dependent on the whims of nature, condemned to the poverty of hopelessness.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“And if there remained a difference of 1 or 2 per cent, that does not justify the killing of thousands of men and women in America. Political differences do not justify murdering even a single child, no matter of which nation. Bin Laden and his abhorrent ideas can never contribute to peace. They offer no solution and no hope to any nation, religion or person. They spread hatred, disseminate fear and plant mines. They are a catastrophe at large. The new world economy enabled two of the most populous countries — China and India — to move forward and offer new life and opportunity to hundreds of millions of people. It has changed the face of Europe. It has reversed the fortunes of Latin America.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“It is not just a concrete structure — it is a solid idea. You can attack America, hurt it, but America cannot be destroyed. America’s war on terrorism is the war of all of us. By “us”, I mean every country in this Assembly and every human being on this planet. Bin Laden claims that he fights crusaders, who no longer exist. Bin Laden claims that he wants to help the Palestinians, but in the eyes of the Palestinians, he is an obstacle, not an aid. Israel made peace with Egypt and returned all the land and water without bin Ladens, without terror. We did likewise with the Jordanians — not because of terror, but because terror came to an end. At Camp David in July 2000, we offered the Palestinians practically all the land without bin Ladens, without terror.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Indeed, America has emerged as the “indispensable nation”. Now America has become a target for reasons which are not necessarily its own. Terrorism was directed at America to frustrate its democracy, weaken its respect for human rights, reduce its enterprise and threaten its individualism so that it would not be able to help others. This was an assault on the very existence of humanity. The bin Laden group are afraid of progress. They are proponents of backwardness. They want us to return to living in caves. They represent the darkest ages in the annals of human history. They are self- appointed killers of any persons who think differently from them. They are not just evil — they are an agency of death. America is not just a new world or continent — it is a great constitution, a shining city on the hill of freedom.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We pay tribute to the United States, a nation that had the capacity to welcome new modes of creativity, planning, production and innovation at home and abroad. And while becoming mighty, it did not stop caring for the rest of the world. The United States has helped nations in Europe and Asia and elsewhere regain freedom and security in times of danger. American boys fought, and many of them lost their lives, in European and Asian wars. They won wars and gained land, but they did not keep those assets for themselves. They returned to Japan an improved Japan. They returned to Germany an improved Germany. The Marshall Plan helped to rebuild Europe. Needy countries were offered food and assistance, industries were restored, economies were rehabilitated. There was generosity in their victory.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Eventually, it can endanger the freshness of air, the purity of water. Global economy arrived as an historic surprise; global terrorism also arrived without prior warning. But, whereas a solution was found to regulate the 10 global economy, through privatization, there is no private answer to meet global terrorism. Many nations have armies, without necessarily having enemies. Yet, for the time being, global dangers remain without global answers or global armies. The United States played the pivotal role in introducing the new economy. Now again, it falls upon the United States, as the first target of global terrorism, to offer a strategy, to take the lead and to bring back the promise of freedom and security to many of us.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“This attack was brutal, because it was directed at everything we stand for, against everything for which nations, and the United Nations, have toiled. The emerging terror, like the emerging economy, is no longer national or delineated by boundaries. Rather, it is borderless, and it contains unlimited, awesome potential. It can begin with knives, and it may wind up with germs. Terror does not have a visible address, a merciful lord in heaven, a court or an elected government. Nor does it need the approval of the many. It is built on the fanaticism of a small group of murderers, lacking the checks and balances of an accountable society. It may arrive unexpectedly, uninvited, spreading fear in every corner of the globe, paralysing us at work and home, grounding flights, impeding movement, disrupting commerce and production.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“And since we could not form a global government, the national Governments agreed that the global economy would be managed by private enterprises — hence, privatization. Globalization decreased the importance of traditional States and increased the importance of non-governmental organizations and worldwide connections. It looked as if borderless progress was evolving. And then ambushing clouds, global in nature, moved in as a new horror. The horrific events of 11 September — the savage attack on innocent American people — signalled a new warning to world history. On 11 September, we learned that the very same technology I mentioned earlier — openness and a frontier-less, connected world — could also spread viciousness.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“In a competitive world, to keep young scientists your land and water should be free from pollution, your financial system free from corruption, your government without arbitrariness. Truth, freedom and openness became conditions for science and high technology and, consequently, for the advancement of any society. It is true that the world is still divided between the haves and the have nots. But for the have nots, a new option is that of becoming connected to the new age and the more developed aspects of our times. There had been a new beginning, but like many beginnings, one mixed with shadows and revolt. The shadows were not yet heavy; at the beginning they looked pale and distant. So we felt like one promised world, like one assembly. The economy was no longer national; it became global — open to every nation.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“And then we learned that high technology is not just a technical matter. We cannot separate technology from values; it is impossible. For example, you cannot combine lies and science. You cannot lie scientifically. To have a science-based economy, you have to pursue peace uncompromisingly and openness uninterruptedly. Science requires an open society; it demands constant dialogue. You cannot have new innovations without unrestricted research. You cannot have unrestricted research without being a free society. You cannot develop a scientific economy without making education a top priority, available and accessible to all people. You cannot attract investment unless you have transparency.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We had departed from a traditional history that was written with red ink — wars, skirmishes, conflicts and murders — many of which arose because human existence was dependent upon land and natural resources. We have had to protect our own lands. Modern science emerged to supersede land, opening new horizons of limitless opportunities. Science rendered borders marginal, and old prejudices and distances began to dissipate from our minds. Technology created a new interdependence. No longer were our connections dependent upon land or sea — upon distance. Air became the new means of communication for nations, peoples, businesses and development. High technology introduced new promises and recalled the importance of old values. The perception was that every person, irrespective of location, race, religion or sex, could reach new heights.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“First of all, I would really like to congratulate you, Sir, on your election as President of the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly. I know that you bring with you a wealth of experience, a breadth of understanding and hope for many people. I would also like to express my highest regard for 9 Secretary-General Kofi Annan on his well-deserved recognition as Nobel Prize Laureate for his fresh ideas and great vision on how to meet a new world with an open mind, a sense of unity and hope. There is hidden light and needed hope in this gathering to overturn the darkness that has descended upon us. There is enough strength and resolve in the midst of civilized nations to deflect evil. Humanity woke up happy to welcome the twenty- first century. We turned around and looked, and there was brightness and freshness in the air.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“They know that they can attain more if they work harder. If we want to represent their hopes, we have to combine wise policies and regional security with market economies. Historically we were born equal, and equally we can give birth to a new age. "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of 24 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt." (The Holy Bible, Amos 9:13) So said the Prophet.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“Gaza, after 7,000 years of suffering, can emancipate itself from want. Jericho, without its fallen walls, can see its gardens blossom again. As the twentieth century comes to a close, we have learned from the United States and Russia that there are no military answers to the new military dangers, only political solutions. Successful economies are no longer a monopoly of the rich and the mighty. They represent an open invitation to every nation ready to adopt the combination of science and open-mindedness. We see at the end of this century that politics can achieve more by good will than by power, and that the young generation watching their televisions compare their lot with the fortunes or misfortunes of others. They see freedom, they watch peace, they view prosperity, all in real time.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“We are grateful to the United States for its support and leadership. We are grateful to both President Clinton and Secretary Christopher for their crucial role. We appreciate the Egyptian role and the Norwegian encouragement; the European involvement and serious contribution; the Asian support and blessing. Maybe we now have the right to say to other people in conflict: "Do not give up. Do not surrender to old obsessions and do not take fresh disappointments at face value." What we did, others can do as well. We are determined to make the agreement with the Palestinians into a permanent success. Israel would consider the economic success of the Palestinians as though it were its own, and I believe that a newly achieved security will serve the aspirations of the Israelis and the necessities of the Palestinians.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“The time has come to build a Middle East for the people and not just for the rulers. It was not simple to open the locked doors to peace. In the name of God, let them not be closed again. Let peace be comprehensive, embracing all issues, all countries, all generations. We suggest that we all negotiate together as equals. We offer a common ground of mutual respect and mutual compromise. Thirteen years have passed since we made peace with Egypt. We are grateful to Egypt and its President for expanding understanding, overt and hidden. In a world in which so many insoluble problems reside, the Palestinians and we have finally shown that in fact there are no insoluble problems, only people who tend to believe that many problems are insoluble. We have negotiated one of the most complicated issues of the last 100 years.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“Modern transportation and revolutionary communications crossing the air, covering the ground and connecting the seas will turn geographical proximities into an economic advantage. We should not ask taxpayers of other countries to finance follies of our own. We have to correct them ourselves. We do not have the moral right to ask for the financing of unnecessary wars or wasteful systems. If the thumping of hammers replaces the thunder of guns, many nations will be more than willing to extend a helping hand. They will invest in a better future. They will support the replacement of unwarranted confrontation with Forty-eighth session - 28 September l993 23 much-needed economic competition. Markets can serve the needs of the people no less than flags can signify their destinies.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“Our area is blessed by nature and by history, a history which is still very much alive: the eternity of Jerusalem, the magnificence of the pyramids, the symbols of Luxor, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Pillars of Wisdom in Baalbek, the red palaces of Petra, the inimitable charm of Marakesh, the old winds which still blow in Carthage, not forgetting the beaches of Gaza or the scent of Jericho’s perfumed fruits. We have to open roads to those wonders and keep them safe and hospitable. Tourism depends on tranquility; tourism enhances tranquillity. It makes friendship a vested interest. Thirdly, we have to build an infrastructure with modern means so as to avoid the pitfalls of the past.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“High technology permits nations to attain real independence and to experience genuine freedom, political as well as economic. There is nothing new about the scarcity of water in our midst. Jacob and Esau drank from the same wells even when their paths were separated. But then, unlike today, they could not desalinate the sea water; they could not computerize irrigation; nor could they enjoy the potential of biotechnology. We are meeting again with an entirely different opportunity. Greening the land can be accompanied by the creation of many new jobs for all people in the area. The most promising opportunity may be the development of tourism. No other branch of modern industry assures an immediate growth of the Middle East like this one.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“The differences in governments and economies should not prevent us from doing together what can be done together: combating the desert and offering fertility to an arid land. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations declared that the Middle East must double its agricultural production in the 25 years to come. The population of the region in the same period will double itself anyway. The land is cut by many and large deserts and its water resources are stingy and scarce. Yet we know that in a similar period of time - the 25 years between 1950 and 1975 - Israel was able to increase its agricultural output twelvefold - an increase unprecedented in history. During the past decade, 95 per cent of the growth of our agriculture resulted from research, planning, training and organizing.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“May I say sincerely and loudly that we did not give up territorial control to engage ourselves in economic superiority. The age of domination, political or economic, is dead. The time of cooperation has begun. As a Jew, may I say that the virtue and the essence of our history since the times of Abraham and the commandments of Moses have been an uncompromising opposition to any form of occupation, domination and discrimination. For us, Israel is not just a territorial homeland, but a permanent moral commitment as well. There are other questions, concerning the building of a common market in the Middle East, as to how to attain this when governments are so varied and economies are so different.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“Who will, and who should, compensate for outmoded censorship of mail and control of trade and travel? And who will comply with the State where suspicion intercepts the enterprising spirit of the people? We can, and we should, turn to the promises of scientific development, the market economy and comprehensive education. We must base our industry, agriculture and services on the highest of today’s technologies. We have to invest in our schools. Israel, a country of immigration, is blessed with many scientists and engineers. We shall gladly make this human wealth available as a contribution. I know that there is suspicion; that, when referring to a common market in the Middle East or announcing an Israeli contribution, it may be perceived as an attempt to win preference or to establish domination.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“We are encouraged by the new attempt of the United Nations and its Secretary-General to answer the social and 22 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session economic call of the present era. The United Nations was created as a political answer; today it must face social and economic questions. The Middle East, which has been an important agenda item in United Nations history, must become prosperous, not only peaceful. To construct a modern Middle East we need wisdom no less than financial support. We have to rid ourselves of the costly follies of the past and adopt the principles of modern economy. Who will, and who should, pay the cost of oversized armies? Who will, and who should, bear the price of an arms race whose cost has reached $50 billion annually? Who will, and who should, pay for the inefficiencies of old systems?”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“We do not have any territorial claims or any political pretensions concerning Lebanon. We pray, together with many Lebanese, that their country will no longer be a back yard for troublemakers. It is for Lebanon to make a choice between Hizbollah, on the one hand, which operates from its territory and then takes orders from another Government, and, on the other, insisting on having one army, one policy, and offering real tranquillity to its people and security to its neighbours. Lebanon does not need a license to regain its independence, and Lebanon should not postpone its return to its balanced, traditional policy. I am not sure whether there is a new order in the world, but all of us feel there is a new world awaiting an order.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“We have already agreed with the Hashemite Kingdom on many complicated issues, and there is no doubt that we can complete the story fully, that we can offer the people on both sides of the river full peace, that the Dead Sea can become a spring of new life and that the old waters of the River Jordan can be a source of prosperity flowing from each side to the other. We hope - as a matter of fact, we are determined - to make peace with Syria, yet we ask the Syrian leadership, if it has chosen peace, why it refuses to meet openly. If Syria is aiming for the Egyptian fruits of peace, it must follow the process that led to them. Both of us have to look ahead and realize that the threats of war are no more than an illusion that one can return to an unbearable past. We shall not give up our negotiations with our Lebanese neighbours.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“Some colonized people gained their independence, but they hardly enjoyed its fruits. The dangers may have been over, but their hopes evaporated. We have learned that the end of a war should be the beginning of a new genesis, which will be the end of belligerency and will put an end to psychological prejudices. No nation, rich or poor, is able nowadays to attain security unless the region in which it exists is secure. The scope of regional security must exceed the range of ballistic missiles, which may hit each and all of us. As we strive to achieve a comprehensive peace, no wound must remain unhealed. Geographically speaking, we live side by side with the Jordanian Kingdom, and what is so obvious geographically must become clear politically.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“I know that the solution to the Palestinian issue may be the key to a new beginning, but it is in no way the answer to the many needs awaiting us upon our return home. The last decade saw great changes, including the end of East-West confrontation and the opening of the way for the gradual disappearance of North-South polarization. The great continent of Asia and the picturesque continent of South America introduced the dynamics of an economic development of their own. The dramatic event in South Africa is a declaration to the same effect. So, contrary to all assumptions, it has been demonstrated that neither geography nor race is a hindrance or an advantage to economic promise. We witnessed the end of some wars only to discover that the warriors did not reach their own promised land.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“We have to try to eradicate the roots of all hostilities. If we only bring violence down but ignore misery, we may discover that we have traded one menace for another peril. Territorial disputes may have been the reason for wars between nations, and poverty may again become the seed of violence between peoples. While signing the documents on the lawn of the White House, I could almost sense the breeze of a fresh spring, and my imagination began to wander to the skies of our land, which may have become brighter to the eyes of all people, both those who agree and those who oppose. On the lawn one could almost hear the heavy tread of boots leaving the stage after a hundred years of hostility. One could have heard the gentle tiptoeing of new steps making a debut in a world awaiting peace. Yet we could not depart from reality.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“I should like to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your unanimous election to preside over the forty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. We feel strongly that the time has come for all of us - communities, nations, peoples, families - finally to lay the last collective wreath on the tombs of the fallen combatants and on the monuments of our beloved. It is the right way to honour their memories and to answer the needs of the newly born. We have to lay the foundations for a new Middle East. The peace agreement between us and the Palestinians is not just an accord signed by political leaders. It is an ongoing, profound commitment to the next generation of Arabs and Israelis, Christians, Muslims, Jews and people of all other faiths. We know it is not enough to declare an end to war.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“The vision was already mentioned in Proverbs: "Wisdom builds the house. "Good judgment makes it secure." (The Holy Bible. Proverbs 24:3) "Wisdom prevails over strength; knowledge over brute force." (The Holy Bible. Proverbs 24:5) We have to go to work. For us, the Jewish people, this is Rosh Hashanah, the New Year. We pray that the year to come will bring peace, freedom and prosperity to build a new Middle East for all of its people Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Arab, Israeli for us, and for our children.”
1992-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 47 (1992)
“We can satisfy the needs of man and land. The Middle East can be made green. It depends upon us. Here, I believe, are the pillars of wisdom for a new Middle East: economic growth, arms control, dignity for the refugees, environmental protection and water resources, coupled with religious freedom, pluralistic values and human rights. The nations of the Middle East must work individually and collectively to meet these challenges of a changed world. The agenda is ambitious. Is it merely a dream? No. It is a blueprint, and the necessary elements are within our grasp. Will these goals be achieved in our lifetime? We dare not hesitate, because the world will not wait for the Middle East. We are tragically late in making peace. If we do not face our economic challenges, we will be left hopelessly far behind. The agenda is new.”
1992-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 47 (1992)
“We should address the problems of refugees, not by threatening to destroy the existing demographic balance, but by exploring a range of possibilities for restoring the dignity of refugees and offering them a new life. We should act to save our fresh air and historic landscape. Ecological pollution does not respect borders, and so we have to marshal forces to save our region from the danger of uncontrolled deterioration. Finally, the Middle East possesses vast desert land but meagre water resources. The land is static, the population is increasing and water resources are declining. Available water should be reused, and new fresh water produced from the sea. Either the land will be salinized by the sea or the sea water will be desalinized through available technology. The technology is available, and the necessary credit is attainable.”
1992-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 47 (1992)
“We have to build an open regional economy, for the same reasons and with the same promise that led others to do so. We have to build a common market in the Middle East. We have to set out upon the long and complicated road to arms control. That we can learn from the East-West negotiations and other attempts at arms control. We have to follow the patient path of confidence-building measures in the geographical and technical domains until we are able to rid the Middle East of the terror presented by weapons of mass destruction, both conventional and non-conventional. Israel has proposed the creation of a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East numerous times, and we stand ready to pursue this goal today.”
1992-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 47 (1992)
“By diminishing the need for arms and building the right economic structure, we will be able create wealth of our own. There is no need to impoverish the wealthy in order to enrich the poor. Opening borders, paving roads, introducing modern communications, and exchanging technology will generate economic growth in the Middle East. Trade across borders is essential for economic growth. Markets transcend national boundaries. Water, tourism and commerce do not subjugate themselves to political maps. The Middle East should follow the example of the "seven tigers" in Asia, the European Common Market and the North American Free Trade Agreement. Let us understand: these regions are our competitors and they are far ahead of the Middle East in facing the new realities of the international economy.”
1992-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 47 (1992)
“Fifthly, discussion of human rights and pluralistic values should be made part of the talks so as to combine the discussion of well-defined practical issues with the pursuit of common values very much akin to the Helsinki accords. And finally, the parties should agree not to postpone progress in the multilateral talks until the conclusion of the bilateral negotiations. Early planning can save crucial time for all parties without forcing irreversible commitments. And lost time cannot be regained. The bilateral negotiations are essentially political. The multilateral negotiations are essentially economic. We live in an age when financial assistance in itself is no longer the answer to the economic needs of the Middle East. In the past, belligerency created dependence upon the financial assistance of other nations.”
1992-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 47 (1992)
“Progress in these areas will more likely be attained if we can restructure the multilateral talks, which initially created two advantages: the cluster of issues and the participation of many Arab countries. But the talks suffer as well from loose organization, which has resulted in seminars rather than negotiations, and from the lack of a concentrated thrust to coordinate their work. We suggest the following changes. First, the separate negotiations should be conducted in a coordinated manner. Secondly, participation in the steering committee should be raised to the ministerial level. Thirdly, the multilateral negotiations should be intensified through more frequent meetings for longer periods of time. Fourthly, the Syrians and the Lebanese should participate.”
1992-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 47 (1992)
“The majority of them live in a state of want. In 30 years, there will be 500 million people in the region, two thirds residing in Africa, one third in Asia. The poverty of the Middle East has nothing to do with geography. It has to do with the use and misuse of available and potential resources in the region. The gap between wealthy and poor nations is wide: the more prosperous nations enjoy a per capita income 10 times greater than their poorer neighbours. The earth beneath us will continue to tremble if the wealthy remain oblivious to the needy, both within and beyond national borders. The multilateral negotiations are composed of five areas: economics, arms control, refugees, ecology and water.”
1992-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 47 (1992)
“We have done these things unconditionally. Yet confidence-building measures call for reciprocity. We seek an end to the unjustified economic boycott and the cessation of terror. We shall not allow ourselves or our adversaries to escape this chance for peace. Yet we cannot turn our region into a new Middle East by just negotiating old disputes. Our new challenges are on our horizons, not only in our frontiers. We say to our Arab neighbours: the real danger is not Israel. The real danger is poverty. The real danger is poverty that creates protest, even if it is occasionally cloaked in a religious mantle. Poverty and protest endanger both the Arab nations and Israel. Israel does not want to become an isolated island in an ocean of resentment. Two hundred forty million people live today in the Middle East.”
1992-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 47 (1992)
“The moment Lebanon finds peace within itself and independence from outside intervention, Lebanon and Israel will live in peace again. Looking at the bilateral negotiations, we recall that the success of our negotiations with Egypt stemmed from dialogue at many levels of society: decision makers, leaders, businessmen, academicians. We appeal to all our Arab neighbours to establish the same dialogue today. There is no room for timidity, reluctance or boycotts in a peace process. Peacemaking should not be a hideaway operation. I hope our neighbours realize that Israel has implemented unilateral confidence-building measures. We have drastically changed our settlement policies, altered our policies towards the Palestinian people, offered new proposals for self-government and suggested target dates for the implementation of this process.”
1992-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 47 (1992)
“We have made clear to the Syrians that Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) contain a territorial dimension, combined with other components of peace and security which must be equally respected. We believe in a comprehensive solution involving all issues and all parties. Yet we do not consider it wise to link one negotiation to another, or to postpone an agreement with one country because of delays elsewhere. One negotiating process should not be handcuffed to another. With respect to Lebanon, Israel holds no territorial claims; nor does it seek to influence the political destiny of that country. We recall peaceful relations with Lebanon at a time when it was internally balanced and tranquil. We hope that such a time will return again.”
1992-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 47 (1992)
“It is necessary now to translate the change in the mood between our two nations into viable and carefully constructed accords expressing a mutual interest in security and cooperation. We call for a departure from old dogmas and all-embracing dictates, and we hope the Syrians will adopt the same approach. We understand the need to safeguard the security and freedom of both nations, theirs and ours. It is our responsibility to ensure that those who have survived the wars of the past will have the opportunity to open a new peaceful chapter in the history of the two peoples. The leaders of both countries should be directly involved in these negotiations, which are in need of a new approach and creative thinking. I call on the President of Syria to set aside his reservations and meet with the Prime Minister of Israel.”
1992-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 47 (1992)