YouSaid · the spoken record

Shimon Peres

lines on the record: 59
first: 1994-09-24
most recent: 2008-09-24
sittings or episodes: 4
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

“I would like to end with a quote by Rabbi Nachman of Breslav: “May it be thy will to remove war and bloodshed from the world and perpetuate the wonders and greatness of peace. All the inhabitants of the world shall recognize and know the truth: that we have not been placed on this earth to wage war and not for hatred or bloodshed.” I will repeat it in Hebrew. (The speaker repeated the quote in Hebrew)”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“It would direct global investments to new areas and to demanding challenges such as health, security, education and the environment. The future is not in the hands of oil or gold. Intellectual assets, new inventions and superior education hold the key to the future of each of us. In our region, border areas could become open economic zones, permitting the free movement of people, commodities and ideas. They could encourage tourism and build high-tech incubators. They could cultivate and advance modern agriculture. Economic zones would provide a million jobs and produce billions of cubic metres of desalinated water for the Arabs, for the Palestinians, for the Jordanians, for Israel — for all of us. We have already started to do this; the initial steps are promising. The Jewish people are celebrating a New Year.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Perhaps it has happened because we are rich and light with funds and poor and heavy with ideas, while we live in an era in which science, not land, is the basis for a successful economy. Science does not stop at borders; it is not disturbed by distances. Wisdom cannot be conquered by armies. Knowledge diminishes discrimination because it operates through goodwill and transcends race, nationality, colour and gender. The global dangers unite and divide us at the same time. The dangers are clear: degradation of the environment, shortage of water, lack of renewable energy, the spread of terrorism and, alas, increased poverty among millions and millions of people. The divisions of the free world may increase them. Unity may offer alternatives.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Furthermore, I must say that in Beirut, the Arab League replaced the three “nays” of Khartoum — which were no peace, no negotiation, no recognition — with an initiative inaugurated by King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. I call upon the King to further his initiative. It may become an invitation for comprehensive peace — one to transform a battleground into a common ground. I respectfully invite all leaders to come to discuss peace in Jerusalem — which is holy to all of us — where all of us are praying to the same Lord as offspring of the same Father. Israel shall gladly accept an Arab invitation to designate a venue where a meaningful dialogue may take place at their choice. We are facing a serious economic crisis in the world.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“To gain trust and save time, we have suggested a face-to-face meeting with President Assad. I say to the President: “Follow the successful example set by President Sadat and King Hussein”. We await an answer. 08-51749 34 I know there is a growing concern that peace is far away. My lifelong experience provides me with a different judgement. True, I have seen stagnation, regression and failure in our journey, but today I can identify a road leading in the right direction. In addition to the peace agreements, a series of summits have taken place: Madrid, Oslo, Wye, Camp David, Sharm el-Sheik, Annapolis. In fact, Israelis and Arabs are marching towards peace. After a long internal debate, Israel has chosen to support the two-State solution.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“The General Assembly and the Security Council bear the responsibility to prevent agonies before they take place. Israel has shown that democracies can defend themselves. We are able to defend ourselves. We do not intend to change that capacity to defend ourselves. Terrorism has not solved a single problem. It never has; it never will. It will make the world ungovernable. If groups of killers are allowed to threaten innocent masses, the world — if it continues to survive — will be without order and security, a hopeless battleground. The free world must unite to stop this, to combat it. Israel, for its part, shall continue to seek peace sincerely and fully. We suggest immediate peace with Lebanon. Israeli Prime Ministers have indicated to Syria that, for peace, we are ready to explore a comprehensive compromise.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“It has introduced a religion of fear, opposing the call of the Lord to respect human life: all humans; all life. The Iranian people are not our enemies. Their fanatical leadership is their problem and the world’s woe. Their leader is a danger to his own people, to the region and to the world. He is a disgrace to the ancient Iranian people and tradition. He is a disgrace to the values of Islam and all religions. He is a disgrace to this House, the United Nations, and its basic principles and values. His appearance here is a shame. The Jewish people have known throughout history that they must stand firm and face evil. Enlightened humanity should make it possible for freedom and respect to prevail for all of us. Tehran combines long-range missiles with short- range minds. It is pregnant with tragedies.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Its quest for religious hegemony and regional dominance divides the Middle East and holds back chances for peace, including among Arabs, while undermining human rights. Iranian support for Hizbullah divides Lebanon. Its support for Hamas splits the Palestinians; it postpones the establishment of the Palestinian State. Yesterday, from this very rostrum, the Iranian leader renewed the darkest anti-Semitic libel — the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” — bringing to life one of the ugliest plots against the Jewish people. Their despicable denial of the Holocaust is a mockery of indisputable evidence and a cynical offence against the survivors of the Holocaust, contrary to the resolutions adopted by this very Assembly. Iran continues to develop enriched uranium and long-range missiles.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“I know there are a great many complaints about the settlements: in Gaza, we dismantled 30 settlements by order of the Government; Hamas responded with a bloody takeover and turned the Strip into a base for rocket fire. These militants offer no positive alternative but the agonies of Job. They added kidnapping to bombings, bringing strife to innocent families. From this rostrum, I call for the immediate release of Gilad Shalit, the son of Aviva and Noam, a most peace-loving family. This Assembly should place the release of that person at the top of its priorities. Holding a hostage in Gaza, causes Gaza’s isolation and could cause further deterioration. At the centre of this violence and fanaticism stands Iran. It presents a danger to the entire world.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“I believe it can be accomplished, in spite of this, within the next year. I know that our Prime Minister is more than ready to conclude an agreement. And knowing President Abbas as well, I am sure he will not miss this opportunity. We agreed to progress in spite of possible changes that may take place in the leadership. Gaps have been narrowed through negotiations, particularly, and hopefully, the territorial ones. But peace is not just a matter of territorial compromise. Rogue politics rejects peace even when and where territorial disputes have been resolved. In Lebanon, we implemented the resolutions of the United Nations, but Hizbullah paralysed the country and cut the road to peace. From Gaza, we withdrew completely and dismantled all of our settlements.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“We have also achieved two peace agreements: the first, with the largest Arab country, Egypt; the second, with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. All the land, all the water, all the natural resources that fell into our hands through war were completely repatriated after peace was signed. But for peace, the call in our region is to repair the damaged environment and the wounded land which leads to poverty. If we do not overcome the desert, the thirst, the pollution, they will overcome us. Joint 33 08-51749 ventures can meet this call. Nature does not carry a national passport. With the Palestinians, we negotiate full peace. Both parties agreed to building a Palestinian State side by side with Israel, living in peace, security and respect. We tried to conclude those negotiations this year. Apparently, this will take a longer time.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“A year prior to Israel’s declaration of statehood, its first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, called me, a young man from a kibbutz, to serve in our national defence. Since then, I have participated in Israel’s dynamic realities: the building of security; the striving for peace. So, I need no books to learn the history, since I witnessed its miraculous unfolding. We went through seven wars. All have paid heavily. Tears still flow down the faces of bereaved mothers. Remembrance days fill the air with silent prayers of widowed families who lost young boys and girls in battle. They are, today, the same age, but lifeless. Israel turned military victories into peace processes, knowing that the cost of life renders imperfect peace superior to perfect victories.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Over 60 years have passed since the General Assembly voted on the historic resolution that would have put an end to the Arab- Israeli conflict. Resolution 181 (II) called for the establishment of a Jewish State and an Arab State. Its title was: “Plan of Partition with Economic Union”. It envisioned two States for two peoples, fulfilling a distinct national aspiration. The Jewish people adopted the resolution and established the State of Israel. The Arabs rejected it, and this led to war. What happened in the ensuing years is much different from the resolution’s original intent. While much has changed since then, the ironies of history summon similar circumstances today. Today, again, we are in the middle of the lake. There is no sense going back. Continuing forward will show how near we are to achieving the initial goal.”
2008-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 63 (2008)
“Beware lest you spoil and destroy my world, for if you spoil it, there is no one to repair it after you'.” We are here to repair.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“The people of the Middle East should let bygones be bygones. Let us return to our traditions, where prophets, not terrorists, told the future. Let us return to our landscape, where the blue skies did not surrender to the heavy clouds of despair; to a time when justice promised equal opportunities for individuals and for nations. Let us join, together, the march of mankind towards new discoveries that will make life more purposeful and may bring security to posterity. We were born in the cradles of hope, not in the tombs of despair. We guard our spiritual heritage, and it is not antithetical to building a new Middle East. The world is new. I should like to conclude with an old verse from our scriptures: “The Lord led Adam through the Garden of Eden and said to him, ‘All I created, I created for you.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Only new solutions can evoke a grandeur equal to the past. We do not have the right to suspend it in the face of our children. Young Israelis and young Palestinians are entitled to a new life — a life of their own. While fighting terror, let us not fight people. While seeking freedom, let us not extend subjugation. I should like to direct a comment to Syria. The same principle that enabled us both to participate in the Madrid conference a decade ago is still valid. A word to Lebanon: Israel is committed to the territorial integrity of Lebanon. Israel respects its need for real political independence. Lebanon should not permit Hezbollah to destroy its own country. Hezbollah is not a party, it is a dangerous agenda. Lebanon should immediately free Israeli prisoners and prisoners of war.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“When we replace the war maps with peace maps, we will discover that the differences were minimal. The wars were appalling. We shall see that the promised land could have become the land of promise a long time ago. Without wars, our region will be able to bloom again. We can separate politically into two States and coordinate one economy. That will enable us to take advantage of the exceptional invitation that came from both the United States and a united Europe to partake in their economic opportunities. Tourism can flourish when terrorism has ended. Islands of high-tech excellence can be established. Millions of trees can be planted to produce a new climate. We can make green our arid lands. We can become contributors, not dependants. The call of the future cannot be harmonized with the voices of the past.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Three civilizations were born in the Middle East. They were made manifest in the Bible, in the New Testament and in the Koran. We read them in different languages, yet we pray to the same heavens. The descendants of Abraham should behave like a family — with tolerance and solidarity. Spiritual leaders should pray for peace, but they also need to preach it, call upon it and contribute to it. The political wheel should not rotate in the same misguided orbit as in the past. We have been through five wars in five decades — Palestinians, Egyptians and Jordanians lost generations of young people. We paid heavily with young blood as a result of three terror campaigns. The time has come to comprehend that the real triumph is in the harvest of peace, not in the seeds of another war.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“What is needed now are wheels to propel the vehicles of peace. An economic wheel is needed in order for us to move to a global market economy that leads to science-based industry. A market economy can open gates and skies. An ecological wheel is needed to let air and water flow cleanly. Pollution is not national; we have to work together to control it. Ecology has changed history. In the past, bloodshed was about real estate, and real estate created divisions, demarcation and, unfortunately, wars as well. In our era, the battle is not for real estate but for air, for water and for energy; it is about the fertility of the land, rather than its size. “Non-real” estate is not marked, nor can it be divided. Either we respect it unanimously, or we will be victimized by its loss. Then there is the cultural wheel.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“When democracy prevails, peace undoubtedly will arrive. The Fatah organization apparently issued a call that contains some new approaches. I shall quote one of them: “We will build an independent State of Palestine and a political system in accordance with the principles of democracy, the rule of law, with an independent judicial system, separation of power, respect for human rights, civil liberties and a market economy.” We look upon these words as the dawn of a different season; we hope that it is spring. Reducing violence will shorten political distances. Political horizons are, in my judgement, within reach. Israel accepts President Bush's vision. That vision is supported by the Quartet; it is endorsed by Arab countries; it outlines a political goal and a timetable. It can be considered as both a road map and a calendar.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“But this is neither a decree of heaven nor the verdict of man. It can, it should, it will be different. South Africa, Ireland, Yugoslavia and the Congo achieved more by talking than by shooting, more by dialogue than by dispute. We offered the Palestinians a comprehensive solution without the terror — a solution that was close to their national aspirations. We related to their desire to be free, to be equal, to be independent. We agreed that they would have their land in accordance with United Nations resolutions. But terror postponed their destiny. Terror postponed our willingness to end control over their lives. Smoking guns replaced the torches of peace. Now we are following the profound debate taking place among the Palestinians. We respect it, because debate is the beginning of democracy.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Yes, it hurt us, but it did not change our goals. We mourn, but we did not bury peace. It harmed the Palestinians in the United States and in other countries. It prevented the occupation from ending. It introduced additional problems and did not solve a single existing problem. Alas, the Middle East is still replete with national, religious and territorial disputes. The land is small; the agony is great. But the real tragedy is that without terror we could already have resolved these disputes. Terror entrenched them. Terror changed priorities — security before policy. It affected resources — arming young men, for example, instead of desalinating vital water. If it continues, battlefields will create deserts of sorrow and days of darkness. Campuses of learning will be replaced by camps of violence.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Terrorists do not respect the rule of law. They do not answer to independent judges or relate to elected leaders. They mock international lines. They destroy universal norms. They shed blood. They introduced dullness and stopped affluence. Nothing is to be expected from them but death. Terror creates poverty more than poverty creates terror. Terror leads to backwardness. We have to offer the economic potential to open prospects and horizons for all nations, poor and rich. New opportunities can bring enfranchisement. We have to close ranks to prevent distorted dreams from becoming a raging typhoon that reaches all four corners of the globe. We have experienced in our own country the terrible effects of terrorism. Babies were shot in the arms of their mothers. People at prayer were killed while praying.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“We cannot allow dark forces — which, as we are aware, could destroy the lives of innocent people on a whim — to possess weapons of mass destruction. We shall not turn our lives into a series of sleepless nights and nightmarish days. We do not have the right to ignore the danger. We do not have the option to postpone it; it is imminent. We have to win as soon as possible. Terror is destined to lose. It will be defeated because it carries no hope. It respects neither human beings nor the values of humanity. Science and technology made the economy global, and science and technology globalized terror as well. Now strategy also is globalized, because ballistic ranges have replaced geographic distances, because non-conventional warheads have replaced measurable explosives, because terrorism transcends frontiers and fronts.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“In countries that harbour terror, women are discriminated against, men are oppressed, civil and human rights are violated, and the poor cannot escape from their poverty They force us to defend our inalienable right to look ahead with hope. They imposed on us a war of self-defence — the defence of pluralism and of the promise of science. They reject the incredible technologies that may carry us from the limits of land to the discovery of uncharted provinces. The culture of death forces us to defend the culture of life, to win battles that we did not initiate, to triumph in this uninvited war. We never imagined that it could be dangerous to walk our streets, to fly our skies, to breathe the air or to drink the water. We cannot agree to this.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“The attack on the World Trade Center precipitated a new division in our epoch and in the years to come — a divide created by groups that preach and cause death and agony. On the wrong side of the divide are those who are trying to destroy the free world, which is diversified and heterogeneous, cherishing the right to every thought and religion as well as the principle that every human being has the right to be different and yet to prosper and live in security. 10 The front from Bin Laden to Saddam Hussein is a menace to us all. It will not enable peace, nor will it permit freedom — for all people or for their own people.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“I would like to congratulate my friend Mr. Jan Kavan on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly and to wish him success. I also thank the Secretary-General for his leadership and his dedication to right what is wrong and to light the lamps of hope. The eleventh of September gave rise to a new world. We find ourselves facing a new confrontation: borderless, merciless, indiscriminate and inhumane. The target this time was the United States — a United States that in the past helped so many nations defend their freedoms and their liberty. Now the United States has been challenged again to defend our freedom by protecting its own and to safeguard our lives by securing its own.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“I started by showing what has happened in three or four short years. It is a revolution. It is a beginning. We should not stop in the middle. Let everybody pray to the Lord in the language he is used to. Let everybody respect his own tradition, his own heritage. Let everybody respect the special experience of a people, of a nation. But let all of us give up unnecessary hatred, untold suspicion. Let us give up barricading ourselves behind old dogmas and terrible prejudices. Let us help the people and the future. Then the 50 years of the United Nations will offer not just 50 years without war but the coming 50 years with peace and prosperity.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Water flows according to nature and not according to artificial agreements, and electric current does not stop at A or B or C. They serve everybody. Today in the Middle East as elsewhere, the distinction is no longer ideological or religious or national. There is just one distinction between an old, poor, backward economy and a new age where economies are based on technology and science and where the natural resource is schools for the children and not the mines of the Gulf. Everybody can postpone the choice but nobody can escape it. Our aim is to have peace so as to serve our people; to have education so as to equip our children to take advantage of the new age, to be equal to others and to compete with other children. It cannot remain a peace between leaders: it must become a peace for the people, now and in the future.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“We want to do the same about the dividing line between us and the Palestinians: we want to build alongside the line on the West Bank and Gaza eight industrial parks so that the Palestinians will not have to cross the border and go through Israel’s checkpoints: instead, work will come to them, and together we shall invest and together we shall develop. A better economy is the best guarantee of peace. Actually, there cannot be economic cooperation without political understanding. Recently, while we were negotiating we created three zones of security sensibility on the West Bank — zone A, zone B and zone C. Then we turned to water and electricity and we asked the water and the current to submit to our political wisdom, but the electricity and the water people said that they did not distinguish between A, B and C.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“We do not want to dominate anybody and certainly not anybody’s economy. We did not give up the domination of people to gain domination of markets. And we are suggesting to 5 our neighbours — and we are happy that they have accepted — is that the new frontiers — say, between Jordan and Israel — will not be frontiers of mines and hostile fences, but an occasion for joint ventures. The whole rift of Africa, the whole valley which is a desert that separates the Jordanians and us will become, with God’s help, a source for work, for development. We will build hotels and schools and desalination plants and parks, and people will be free to move from one side to the other, competing without hating, cooperating without dominating.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“And what we actually expect from the Palestinians is for them to become democratic, to be prosperous, to fight violence and terror, and we are giving our neighbours a simple message: What we can do, everybody can do. For many years there was a legend that only the North, which is white and wealthy and permanent, is a success story, whereas the South is condemned to backwardness, to poverty, to lagging behind. What has happened in Asia, where the most vibrant economic endeavours are taking place today, and what is happening in Latin America show that the economy has nothing to do with geographical location or the colour of the skin. Make the right choice: serve your people and create a new future. What we are offering to anyone who is interested is our experience — open, in a comradely way.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Now we have done it and even politically, as difficult as it may be at home — because, as a party, we may win historically but we may also lose politically — but then, winning peace is in our eyes more important than winning elections. Why should you be elected if you do not use the mandate of the people to change the course of your history in a reasoned, moral way? We believe that the strength of ethical judgement is as important as military exercises or triumphs. We gave up land and produced instead an economy of brains. Today Israel is making out of its brains more than some other countries in our vicinity are making out of oil.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“By the end of this year — at the latest at the beginning of next year — not one Palestinian will remain under our control. For the first time in the history of the Palestinian people, they are educating their children without intervention by us or anybody else. Nobody forces us to do so. We are not weak. We are not poor. We are not under pressure. We have had to take serious risks because terror still continues. The Arab boycott is still intact. In our own country there is strong opposition to what we are doing. We have had to spend a great part of our budget to make peace — and yet, despite all this, we decided to make a moral choice: not to dominate another people. We stated in this Assembly that that was our intention.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“And we hope that other well-to-do countries in the Middle East, including Arab countries, will help the needy parts of our own region. May I say that in my best judgement the greatest danger is a combination of high technology and deep hatred, of modern instruments and feudalistic views, and the greatest hope for all of us is a double effort to respect human values and modern education. Israel itself is in good shape. We are strong militarily: I do not deny it. We have an excellent economy — an economy of brains, not of material resources. We have absorbed a very large immigration of white and black Jews, white Jews from Russia and black Jews from Ethiopia, and nobody can understand what put Israel in such a relatively good position. What brought this about is, first of all, the return to the moral choice.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“It is their choice, their opportunity not just to build a different world but to introduce the new world to their own people. For us, the United States is not an empire of power. We are not afraid of the United States. For us, the United States is an empire of peace. We need the United States. For us, Russia is going through a process of change. Russia will remain great but will become something different. For us, we welcome the European contribution to other countries east and south of them and the convening of the Barcelona conference to offer the Mediterranean peoples funds and experience to build a new life. We are glad that Japan is expanding its economic horizons and understanding and contributing so that other nations can do so.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“How can it be wrong for them to work day and night, ceaselessly, with new ideas and new approaches? They are not wasting the leaders’ time; they are wasting the time of the people — their fortunes, their happiness, opportunities for the younger generation. We also tell all the countries of the Middle East, not that we want to have a new Middle East, but that we want the Middle East to join in a new age — for the good of their people, not for the good of Israel. Israel is in good shape because we are no longer living in a world where there are empires of power and colonies of poverty. Poverty and oppression are home-made, not imposed by others. The choice is before every country to become free and prosperous and democratic, like so many nations have done in a relatively short time in Asia, Latin America and in some countries of Africa.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“At the end of November, the first ground-breaking Euro- Mediterranean conference will be held in Barcelona. Three years, five promises: all of them fulfilled. I would like to use this occasion to turn to the Syrians and to turn to the Lebanese and ask them to stop hesitating, to stop wandering. They have to look at this record and come in and follow up. The President of Syria has said that from experience he has learned that only through military negotiations and making security the major agenda item can one achieve peace. Sorry: Experience has 4 shown that through negotiation on all levels, embracing all issues without timidity, without fatigue, we can achieve peace. If leaders meet and are not successful at the first meeting, they will have another meeting.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“22) In October 1994, just one year later, Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty. Last year, we said here: “All countries of the Middle East face a choice: to remain politically divided and economically stagnant or to become economically advanced and politically just. “... We shall try to establish instruments for development: a regional bank, channels for private investment and a framework for regional planning.” (Ibid., Forty-ninth Session, Plenary Meetings, 10th meeting, p. 16) In October 1994, the first Middle East-North African economic summit was held in Casablanca under the splendid presidency of His Majesty King Hassan II. At the end of this month, a second summit will be held in Amman under the auspices of His Majesty King Hussein.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“26) On 30 October, 1991, the Madrid Conference took place. In 1992, again we declared: “The opportunity to select, through democratic political elections, the Palestinian administrative council will enable the Palestinian people to exercise a double measure of freedom: the freedom to govern their own lives and to do so ... democratically.” (Ibid., Forty-seventh Session, Plenary Meetings, 20th meeting, p. 48) Last week, we achieved what we promised. Lastly, in 1993, we declared again from this rostrum: “Geographically speaking, we live side by side with the Jordanian Kingdom, and what is so obvious geographically must become clear politically [so that] we can offer the people of both sides of the river full peace, that the Dead Sea can become a spring of new life.” (Ibid., Forty-eighth Session, Plenary Meetings, 6th meeting, p.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“For us, the United Nations is not just a place of prayer and surely not a platform for speeches. We come here to state our convictions and to announce our commitments. In our address in 1987, I stated on behalf of the State of Israel: “We have found President Mubarak of Egypt to be a builder of a better life for his people and of bridges for a comprehensive peace in the region.” (Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty- second Session, Plenary Meetings, 17th meeting, p. 23-25) Today, under the leadership of President Mubarak, Egypt is becoming a centre for regional development on the way to hosting the first regional bank of development. In the same address, we stated: “An international conference is the door to direct negotiations. Once convened it should lead immediately to face-to-face bilateral negotiations.” (Ibid., p.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“I should like to congratulate Mr. Freitas do Amaral on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly. We are glad that a representative of Portugal, a nation for which Israel has high regard, was elected to that distinguished post. I would like to express to the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, a man of our region and a man of peace, our deepest appreciation for his contribution to world peace in general and to the Middle East peace in particular. Tomorrow, the Jewish people will pray on the day of Yom Ha-Kippurim: (spoke in Hebrew; English text furnished by the delegation) “In the Book of Life: blessings, peace, a good livelihood, good decrees, salvation and consolation. May you be remembered and inscribed.” (spoke in English) We pray for all humanity, for the whole world.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Today, shortages can be bridged rapidly. Computers can carry children not only from grade to grade but from age to age. The software of knowledge will better replace the hardware of weapons. I have served my country since its birth. I have learned that complex problems call for unconventional solutions. I feel that over the past year we have won a licence to build a new Middle East, to make it part of the globe in its new age, free of wars, free of enemies, free of terrorism; a Middle East which will be nuclear-free, missile-free, hunger-free, discrimination-free, tyranny-free; a constituency of peace, a domain of freedom, a land of prosperity. There is a morning awaiting us after a long night, calling us to direct our energies and our aims and our prayers towards that great opportunity.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“To transform the region and make it a stable and attractive place we need the emergence of the region as a whole, committed to a new future. Nature, and not only politics, calls for it. The waters, the winds, the environment call for regional responsibility and cooperation, for desalinization plants, energy stations, highways, railways, runways, piers, telecommunication networks, high-tech industries, tourism infrastructure, banking systems, computer terminals and ecological considerations - a landscape that will meet the future will create a state of prosperity, and it is a regional challenge. The Middle East was the cradle of civilization and has a capacity to contribute. It experienced golden ages, economically and culturally. It should be our collective ambition to make it happen again and to make it happen soon.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“A market economy is a fabric woven from political silk and durable threads of welfare. The time is ripe for its rendezvous with the Middle East. At the end of October, under the presidency of King Hassan II, we shall take the first step to implement a regional design. We shall try to establish instruments for development: a regional bank, channels for private investment and a framework for regional planning. The wealth of the Middle East should be convinced to remain at home. Over the last decade it has invested the better part of its fortunes abroad. Homebound wealth will attract foreign investment as well. We should cut the enormous expense - $70 billion annually - of the arms race. The savings can be directed to development. The arms race can be reduced only by regional consent. No single country will do it alone.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“They forget that Europe did not do it in one leap. It started with a Community of coal and steel. We can start with a community of water and tourism. Nor do they believe that the Middle East is ready for a free trade zone like the one in North America. Yet the North American Free Trade Agreement emerged in a short while as a success by linking geographic proximity with economic growth. Those sceptics claim that generations are needed to cement a new market in the Middle East. Well, they can see what in 10 short years happened to Asian countries, which attained unpredicted prosperity. They achieved it by adopting a market economy. The profile of a market economy is clear. It is made of comprehensive education, open borders, free movement, science-based industries and competitive trade.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We hope that our neighbours, from Saudi Arabia to Lebanon, from Djibouti to Algeria, will become constructive partners in 15 it. Dark clouds are still hanging over the horizon - the shadows of missed opportunities. We have to build a coalition to prevent subversive turbulence from undermining legitimate Governments and harassing the stability needed for the inflow of investment. All countries of the Middle East face a choice: to remain politically divided and economically stagnant or to become economically advanced and politically just. A high standard of living for the people - all people - is the best promise for stability in our midst. Israel is willing to participate in achieving it. There are sceptics, we know, who do not believe that the Middle East is ripe for a common market similar to the European one.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Important Middle Eastern leaders are actively engaged in the same direction. Still, much depends on direct negotiations. Yesterday’s enemies, tomorrow’s partners, should become today’s interlocutors. A peace treaty between Israel and Syria may produce a historic result greater than just an agreement between two countries. It may well become the crowning of a comprehensive peace. It may become an opportunity for the leaders of the region - Kings, Presidents, Prime Ministers, supported by the most prominent leaders of our time - to gather and announce the end of the conflict and to proclaim full peace throughout the region. Peace can hardly emerge from stinginess. By definition, it calls for generosity. Peace is more than a mere ceremony. It requires ongoing maintenance; it awaits a passionate cultivation of new relations.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Let us negotiate, as proclaimed in Damascus, with courage to attain a peace of honour. By ending suspicion, introducing creativity and allowing flexibility, we can transform a promising climate into a solid terrain." Syria declared its strategy for peace. We appreciate it. Military threats and territorial positions should be transformed by security arrangements, diplomatic rapport, full peace and economic endeavours. That will erode the motivation for conflict. Without peaceful relations, balances of power are meaningless. The range of understanding can serve as the only answer to the range of ballistic missiles. President Clinton and Secretary of State Christopher are relentlessly pushing for peace. European, Russian and many other leaders are genuinely supportive.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We shall support a Palestinian readiness to hold democratic elections. Israel, as well as the Palestinians, may discover that Palestinian democracy and Israeli security are complementary. We have demonstrated that we are true in our moral choice not to govern the destiny of another people. We shall continue to negotiate with Syria. We are negotiating out of conviction, not weakness, and we hope to conclude the negotiations with a settlement that will respect the interests of both sides, without harming Syrian dignity or compromising Israeli security. Syria insists on a narrow path for the negotiations, postponing meetings between the leaders and thus slowing the pace of negotiations. Israel is ready for accelerated negotiations. We address the Syrians by saying: "Let us talk face to face.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)