YouSaid · the spoken record

Farouk AL-SHARA’

lines on the record: 209
first: 1994-09-24
most recent: 2004-09-24
sittings or episodes: 10
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 appreciate the efforts he made in preparing his proposals. However, proceeding from our concern to strengthen the United Nations capacity to shoulder the responsibilities entrusted to it, we would have wished to have seen in the proposals more attention given to the fundamental role of the Organization in promoting international cooperation for development. We would have liked the proposals to exclude any measures likely to affect those programmes and activities related to development issues and poverty eradication in developing and least developed countries. Human rights are a very important issue, which we believe must continue to be pursued as an independent issue in order to avoid any overlap with other United Nations activities.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“In this context, we believe that the changes in the international arena and the significant increase in the number of Member States of the United Nations call for a review of the composition and working methods of the Security Council. Checks and criteria must be put in place to prevent the arbitrary use of the veto power. Thus the democracy and transparency which are required in its decision-making would be enhanced, thereby leading to more fairness and balance, as well as to non-selectivity in the implementation of the Council’s resolutions. Although this is an urgent matter, we believe that, in order to reach general agreement on this question, the reforms of the Security Council must not be subjected to a specific time- frame. The Secretary-General recently presented his proposals to reform the United Nations.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Syria underlines the importance of strict adherence to the purposes and principles of the United Nations during the process of reform of the Organization in order to enable it to respond to the needs and aspirations of its Members in the twenty-first century. We believe that promoting development is among the first priorities of the United Nations. There is therefore a need to underscore the right to development. 22 Syria expresses its concern about any weakening of the role and working methods of the General Assembly. We call upon the General Assembly to perform its effective role in accordance with the Charter.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Among its primary purposes, the Charter of the United Nations provides for the maintenance of international peace and security; the fostering between nations of international relations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples; international cooperation in the economic, social, cultural and humanitarian fields; and the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all. It also calls for non-interference in the internal affairs of States. The Charter encouraged the establishment of specialized agencies in the field of international cooperation. It entrusted the General Assembly with setting out regulations governing the appointment by the Secretary- General of the employees of the international Organization.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“We further hope that serious efforts will be made to provide assistance to the Korean people to overcome its economic crisis. Syria stresses the need to take the necessary steps as soon as possible to lift the economic, trade and financial embargo which has been imposed on Cuba for more than 30 years. Syria is following with concern the severe conflicts afflicting some African countries. We call on the international community to make the necessary efforts and to endeavour to find solutions to these disputes, in close cooperation with the Organization of African Unity, in order to promote peace and stability on the African continent. The international community is further called upon to provide assistance of all kinds to enable African States to eradicate the scourge of poverty and achieve development.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Syria calls for easing the suffering of the brotherly people of Iraq, while Iraq is required to implement the remaining Security Council resolutions in a manner ensuring a just solution to the issue of Kuwaiti prisoners. We also hope that there will be a positive response to the initiatives of the League of Arab States and the Organization of African Unity, as well as towards the flexibility shown by the Libyan Government to resolve the Lockerbie crisis. We would also like to see the embargo against Libya — a fellow Arab country — lifted, as well as an end to the suffering caused to the brotherly Libyan people by that embargo. Syria supports measures to guarantee peace and security in the Korean peninsula. We also wish to express our support for the aspirations of the Korean people for reunification.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“At a time when the urgent need to intensify international efforts towards a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East is very clear, some States of the region are engaging in military cooperation similar to an alliance and have recently declared their intention to conduct military manoeuvres in the eastern Mediterranean. Such manoeuvres would be a threat to the peace and safety of neighbouring States as well as to the stability of the region. Syria supports all the efforts being made to eliminate tension in various regions of the world and to resolve standing problems. In this context, Syria underlines its concern for the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“This intransigent Israeli position does great harm to the credibility and universality of the Treaty. We believe that the measures and arrangements to establish a nuclear- weapon-free zone in the Middle East, as called for by United Nations resolutions, require Israel, the only State in the region possessing nuclear facilities and stockpiles, to adhere to the NPT and place all its nuclear establishments under the full-scope safeguards regime of the International Atomic Energy Agency. It must further destroy its entire stockpile of nuclear weapons.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“For such a choice to be realistic and supported by the people, it requires full Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Syrian Golan to the line of 4 June 1967, as well as from southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa, in implementation of Security Council resolution 425 (1978). It must guarantee the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people, including those to self-determination and their own independent State. Syria has always stressed its keen wish to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East. Syria once again expresses its grave concern at the serious obstacle that Israel has placed on the road to that goal in order to prevent the establishment of the zone by refusing to adhere to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“In our occupied Syrian Golan, the policy of entrenching Israeli occupation has also been escalated to the point that the Israeli Knesset recently voted on a bill entrenching the occupation and impeding withdrawal from the Golan, in clear defiance of Security Council resolution 497 (1981). This has been accompanied by an intensification of Jewish settlement activity with the aim of swelling the numbers of settlers in the Golan and undermining the chances for peace. That is a flagrant violation of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the first additional Protocol thereof. The Golan is Syrian land — it always was and always will be. The Israelis will have to leave it sooner or later. 21 We, the Arabs, have championed just and comprehensive peace and consider it a strategic choice.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“It has increasingly diversified its attacks against Lebanon; it has bombed cities teeming with civilians and has planted explosive devices in many parts of southern Lebanon in order to incite enmity among the Lebanese and cast aspersions on the role of the Lebanese resistance. However, such attempts, contrary to Israel’s objectives, have only solidified unity among the Lebanese. They have strengthened the resolve of the Lebanese resistance to confront Israeli occupation more than ever before. In the occupied Palestinian territories, the pace of settlement activities has escalated, including a sharing of roles between the Israeli Government and extremist settlers, in order to expropriate more land, destroy homes and maintain the drive to judaize East Jerusalem.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“It is regrettable that the Israeli Government does not realize that its failure to respect the commitments reached with the previous Government on the Syrian track, based on the principles of international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, does not represent a mere legal violation. First and foremost, it casts doubt on the credibility of any previous Israeli Government, and such doubts thus apply to the commitments made by the current Administration when it is replaced. Since coming to power, the Israeli Government has not limited its positions to undermining the peace process. It has chosen the exact opposite path to that of peace.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“It is no exaggeration to say that the insistence of the Israeli Government on its erroneous concept of achieving security before ending occupation will turn the peace process into a bloodletting process, a cycle of killing that will obtain neither security nor peace for Israel and may return the Arab-Israeli conflict to its tragic beginnings. The Charter of the United Nations states that the efforts of the peoples of the world must be concerted in order to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. Respect for the commitments proceeding from the principles of international law and its sources lies at the very heart of the Charter.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Instead of accepting this formula, the head of the Israeli Government advances others that neither common sense nor logic could entertain and that cannot stand the test of time, such as the formula of peace for peace or peace for security. It is clear that accepting these two Israeli formulas would be tantamount to surrender and to becoming an instrument at the service of Israel’s security. It is indeed true that security issues are of the utmost importance to all States, peoples and individuals. That is not in doubt. However, security is the fruit of peace; the achievement of peace brings security and not vice versa. Proceeding from that, we believe that the Israeli Government, in giving priority in its policy to security over peace, runs counter to all the concepts defined by societies and warring States throughout history.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“While acknowledging the applicability of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) to the occupied Syrian Golan, he also simultaneously rejects the results reached on the Syrian track, with the participation of the United States as sponsor, on the basis of those resolutions and relating to withdrawal to the line of 4 June 1967. He further rejects the resumption of negotiations from the point at which they were halted. It is also strange that the Israeli Government rejects the formula of land for peace, though it is at the very core of the United States initiative and has always enjoyed international unanimity.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“In this context, some may find it unfairly prejudicial to the Israeli Government to characterize its practices in such terms. They would, however, be surprised to learn that the Head of the Israeli Government himself boasts to his inner circle of employing such a tactic, which he believes is a very astute means of ending the peace process as unobtrusively as possible. This does not stop at the modus operandi alone, but extends to the details of the very fundamental issues underpinning the peace process.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“We proceed merely from an objective description of declared positions of the Israeli Government and from its practices on the ground, which — at a minimum — aim at gradually backtracking from the commitments and agreements reached by the parties during the peace talks and ultimately at completely eradicating the peace process launched at the Madrid Conference. 20 It seems to us that the method now employed by the Israeli Government to reach that objective is not the usual one of one step forward, two steps back. It is now a new practice, a tactic of one step back, then two steps back, followed by a threat of a further step backwards which cannot be abandoned, even provisionally, until the other side accepts new conditions it had already rejected. Thus, the peace process regresses until it ultimately cancels itself out.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“This should enable the international community, with the sponsors of the peace process foremost among them, to beware of any serious developments in the future leading to undermining the security and stability of the Middle East region and beyond. As a preliminary observation, I must point out that in our reading of the policy of the Israeli Government we do not proceed from the perception widely held around the world which classifies it as an extremist Zionist Government bent on negating the other party to the conflict rather than making peace with it.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“It is also due to its cynicism towards all the strenuous international efforts seeking, for the first time in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, to achieve a comprehensive solution to this conflict. Perhaps many of us, Governments as well as peoples, cannot foresee the extent of the serious repercussions that will result from that Israeli reversal on the peace process, particularly since it is taking place in the post-cold-war period, when wars and armed confrontations have taken ugly and barbaric forms and have often raged out of control. Syria, which has opted for the achievement of peace in the Middle East on the basis of justice and dignity as a strategic choice, finds that it is duty bound to train a spotlight from this important international rostrum on some facts concerning the positions of the current Israeli Government.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Although more than 50 years have elapsed since the adoption of the Charter of the United Nations, and although States have since committed themselves to peace in their international relations, many regions of the world, particularly in the Middle East, continue to suffer occupation, aggression and the threat of aggression to a point where the sounds of war have begun to drown out that of peace. It has now become clear to most of those concerned with peace and security in various corners of the Earth that the peace process initiated at the Madrid Conference six years ago has reached a dead end. This is due to the volte-face by the current Israeli Government vis-à-vis that process, including the commitments, agreements and pledges stemming from it.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“I take pleasure in congratulating the President on his election to preside over the fifty-second session of the General Assembly and to congratulate his friendly country on his election to that high international office. We are confident that his wide-ranging expertise will facilitate his task and lead the deliberations of this session to a successful end. I should also like to thank his predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Razali Ismail, for his wise leadership of the previous session of the General Assembly. On this occasion I cannot fail to renew my congratulations to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and to Africa, his great continent. I wish him full success in discharging his tasks in accordance with the principles and purposes of the Charter.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“This will ensure 10 that reforms take place which fulfil, in substance and in form, the aspirations of Member States. Today, as we stand on the threshold of the next century, we are all faced with serious challenges that require us to create an environment that will allow future generations to live in peace, security and cooperation within a system of international relations free from violence and confrontation. That is the hope of our peoples. This is what we must endeavour to achieve as we look forward to a better future, one both more just and more humane that will benefit all mankind.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“On that occasion, we said that the crisis facing the United Nations does not arise from the purposes and principles of the Charter, but rather from the United Nations decision-making mechanism and the selective way in which decisions are implemented. We also observed that the Organization’s serious financial crisis is, in fact, merely the reflection of a political crisis that essentially revolves around the identity of the United Nations and its role in the post-cold-war era. In the light of those comments, the obvious question is: Will it be possible to introduce meaningful reforms into the structure of the United Nations that are acceptable and satisfactory to Member States? That is the true challenge, requiring that we all strive to strengthen dialogue and international cooperation.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Syria also expresses its concern at the continuing deterioration of the situation in Somalia and reiterates the call of the Arab summit to the leaders of the Somali factions to achieve national reconciliation and to work towards the establishment of a national authority representing our brothers, the Somali people, as a whole. With regard to Korea, Syria expresses its support for measures that would guarantee peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and for the aspirations of the Korean people to reunification. The celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations provided an important opportunity for us to forge a common vision of the future of international relations.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Syria hopes that the United Arab Emirates and the Islamic Republic of Iran can find a peaceful solution to the crisis over the three islands in a way that will preserve good-neighbourly relations and contribute to the strengthening of security and stability in the region. Syria expresses its support for the principles agreed upon by the Governments of Yemen and Eritrea for a solution to their conflict through international arbitration. Our position flows from our desire for good-neighbourly relations between them and our belief in the importance of re-establishing security and stability in the Red Sea region.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Syria also calls for an end to the suffering of the brotherly Iraqi people, and for a continuation of the implementation of Security Council resolutions, including a solution to the issue of Kuwaiti detainees. With regard to the Lockerbie crisis, Syria expresses its concern for the human and material harm that has been done to the brotherly people of Libya as a result of the continuing coercive measures imposed on them by the Security Council. Syria reaffirms the statement made in the final declaration on the issue of the recent Arab summit, and calls for a response to the initiative submitted by the Arab League for solving this crisis.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Given these facts, it would be unacceptable if peace were not also a strategic option for Israel — indeed, it would be a real catastrophe. The achievement of a just and comprehensive peace, to which the peoples of the region and the world aspire, requires Israel’s withdrawal from all occupied Arab land, pursuant to Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978). Syria reaffirms its attachment to the unity of both the territory and the people of Iraq. Syria rejects any attempt to violate the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq’s territory or to interfere in its internal affairs, including the attempt to establish a so-called security zone in northern Iraq.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Secondly, the path of confrontation is very costly because the international community rejects war and aggression and calls for the achievement of a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. Israel knows that the Arabs have opted for peace as their strategic option, including at the summit level. In taking this stand they have been supported by the summit of the States of the Non- Aligned Movement, the summit of the European Union and the summit of the Group of Seven industrial countries, all of which have stressed the need to adhere to the foundations of the peace process, relevant Security Council resolutions and the “land-for-peace” formula, as well as respect by the parties for the agreements and commitments reached so far.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Given my comments, it might be concluded that the Israeli Government has no strategy for peace but has, it seems, chosen the path of confrontation. The path of confrontation, however, is very costly for several reasons. First, Israel can start a war whenever it chooses, but cannot end it when it chooses. Israel might wreak considerable destruction here and there, but it can never destroy the will of a nation that has deep roots of civilization which spread all over the world. Many Israelis may be unaware that all the wars they have fought between October 1973 and April 1996 have gained them nothing except human and political losses and further international condemnation.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“This was reflected in the statements made by many Foreign Ministers in the Security Council, where Israel appeared totally isolated, besieged on all sides by statements deploring and denouncing its action, with the voices that usually volunteer to defend it dying away. The Israeli Government’s fuelling of extremism did not stop there. General Sharon, the Israeli Minister for Infrastructure, issued a decision last week allocating three new sites on the occupied Syrian Golan for building 600 housing units. Perhaps a large segment of international public opinion and some politicians are not aware that without the financial aid and huge governmental subsidies given to Jewish settlers, they would not settle in the Golan, especially as they are well aware that the Golan is 9 Syrian territory, which they will have to leave sooner or later.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Imagine how guilty those tourists would feel if they believed that, in order to secure their comfort, the Israeli authorities killed about 80 Palestinians, caused the deaths of 15 Israelis, and wounded more than a thousand people. They would not, of course, believe it; we do not believe it — and neither does the head of the Israeli Government, who revealed his true expansionist intentions when he later claimed that the tunnel had been there for two thousand years, and arrogantly declared that it would remain open for ever. Perhaps the huge number of innocent victims who fell in Jerusalem and in the towns of the West Bank and Gaza have hastened the unmasking of such deceit. In this way the Israeli Government appears to public opinion as it truly is: neither desirous of a just peace nor keen to pursue it.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“The bloody confrontations that broke out following the opening of the tunnel that Israel dug under the wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as previous deliberate Israeli provocations and the unjustified escalation of tensions against Syria and Lebanon over the past few weeks, all confirm that the Israeli Government did not take office in order to resume peace negotiations on the basis of international legitimacy, the Madrid terms of reference and the “land-for-peace” formula, but rather in order to launch new negotiations with no terms of reference, entrenching a fait accompli. During his European tour, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that his decision to open the tunnel was designed merely to ease the movement of tourists and spare them a walk of a few dozen extra metres.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“It is sufficient to recall that in the aftermath of the Hebron massacre voices were raised everywhere, even in Israel itself, calling for the Jewish settlers, who number less than 400, to move from the heart of Hebron, which is home to more than 120,000 Palestinians. However, the Israeli Government refused to withdraw from Hebron, portraying such a move as the ultimate painful concession.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Can any thinking person in this world expect Syria to establish peace with the Israeli Government while Syrian land remains in Israeli hands? That is why I say that if Netanyahu stays that course, I do not believe there is any window for a just and comprehensive peace in the region.” One of the dilemmas facing the Middle East peace process is that certain Israeli leaders are encouraging, rather than discouraging, extremism in Israeli society. They are the ones who add fuel to the fire whenever a better climate for the achievement of peace begins to develop. There are many examples of such an attitude, which we do not have time to provide today.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“To anyone who has followed the declarations and practices of the Israeli Government since it assumed power, it is clear that it has not wasted a single opportunity to underline its insistence on changing the foundations and rules of the peace process, to attempt to demolish all the achievements of the past five years and to call for a return to negotiations from square one, without preconditions — in other words, without the Madrid terms of reference, in accordance with the “peace for peace” formula, with the objective of imposing its fait accompli on the Arabs. President Hafez Al-Assad has said: “If this is what the Israeli Prime Minister has in mind, why should Syria want peace? If peace does not return the land to its rightful owners, why should we call for it?”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“Those negotiations survived various periods of tension, interruption, set-back — and progress. They generated thousands of pages of records. Both Syria and Israel agreed on Israel’s withdrawal from the Golan back to the boundary of 4 June 1967. Negotiations then proceeded to the other elements of peace — all under the supervision of the United States of America, and with its participation. Now, after all those international efforts, which were unprecedented in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, a new Government has taken office in Israel. It has set itself the opposite course to that of its predecessor, and has declared “no” three times: no to withdrawal from the Golan; no to withdrawal from occupied Palestinian lands; and no to a Palestinian State.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“We live in a region which, because of the injustice, occupation and aggression it has witnessed for decades, has had more than its share of victims of wars and violence. It was impossible to envisage a solution to end such tragedies and to respond to the aspirations of the peoples of the region as long as the Arab-Israeli conflict continued to prevail in the absence of a just and comprehensive peace. Many people do not know how many international endeavours were made, how many meetings were convened, how many parties contributed, how many letters were sent and assurances given before agreement was reached between the parties on the foundations and rules that made up the terms of reference of the Madrid 8 Peace Conference. It is now five years since the Madrid Conference was convened and, in turn, bilateral negotiations set up.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“It is my pleasure to congratulate Mr. Razali Ismail on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-first session, and to congratulate his friendly country, Malaysia, on his election to that high international post. We are confident that his political experience and diplomatic skill will lead to the success of this session’s deliberations. May I also extend our thanks to his predecessor for conducting the work of the fiftieth session of the General Assembly. On this occasion, we should like to express our appreciation to the Secretary-General for his efforts to enhance the role of the United Nations, and our concern that his international standing, and his mandate under the Charter be respected. We also believe that the common interest of Member States requires the support of his candidature for a second term.”
1996-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 51 (1996)
“The current peace process cannot be completed without Israel’s withdrawing from the entire Syrian Golan and southern Lebanon. We believe that our position is just. We have a right that we shall never relinquish. As President Assad has said, "Relinquishing any part of a nation’s territory amounts to relinquishing the entire country and its people’s free will." We want a just peace that restores everyone’s legitimate right - the comprehensive peace after which the peoples of the region aspire and under which they will be able to enjoy security, stability and prosperity.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The records to which I have referred are supported by memoirs published by senior United Nations officers who were entrusted with the task of supervising the truce between Syria and Israel during that period. Among those officers are General Odd Bull and General Karl van Horn. Hills and mountains are no obstacle to today’s sophisticated weapons. In any case, the Golan Heights are directly opposite the Galilee Mountains, which are within Israel and are higher than the Golan Heights. Anyway, whether or not the Israeli public are aware of the truth of what I have just said, the United Nations Charter states the basic principle of the non-acquisition of territory by force. This principle has been confirmed in many Security Council resolutions.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Israel uses the pretext of security in an attempt to justify its occupation of the Golan Heights and its refusal to withdraw therefrom. It was Israel, not Syria, that started the armed clashes in the period between 1949 and 1967. United Nations records and resolutions on this matter adopted by the Security Council during that period will demonstrate beyond the shadow of a doubt that Israel was responsible for opening fire for the purpose of expelling Syrian farmers from their land and preventing them from reaping their harvest. It was natural that the Syrian side should have defended its own citizens and land by responding every time they were fired upon.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The return of the entire Golan is not open to compromise, unjustified delay or a misplaced testing of intentions. On this basis, Syria supports a genuine peace - a peace that lives and flourishes without artificial obstacles or arbitrary conditions. Putting on the peace process a greater burden than it can bear does not help to achieve peace; rather, it poses a threat to the process. The peace process should not be weighed down with issues that fall outside its framework. 19 It is regrettable that, as a result of its strong influence on the media, Israel has managed to distort information and turn facts on their head, to the extent that those in some circles of Western public opinion now claim that Syria used the Golan Heights to launch offensives against the Israelis, whereas, in fact, the opposite was the case.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The agreements reached so far have achieved nothing but what Israel wanted from the land-for-peace formula while the Arab party that signed those agreements with Israel still awaits Israel’s response to its demands. The most important characteristic of Syria’s policy under the leadership of President Hafez al-Assad, is the reconciling of principle and reality. Principles that cannot survive on the ground are bound to decline. On the other hand, living the reality without adhering to one’s principles leads to decline. Syria wants peace, and realizes that all parties have a stake in this peace. It realizes also that peace has objective requirements, and it is prepared to fulfil those requirements that are agreed upon. Syria means what it says and adheres to what it means. The land-for-peace equation must be implemented in both its parts.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Regrettably, the peace process did not continue on the right track towards achieving its desired objective. There are many reasons for that. However, we see no point in elaborating on them now. Nor do we want to digress and elaborate on the current position of those parties which have strayed from Arab coordination. Suffice it to refer to an essential point that was revealed in their public statements. The point is that they have now begun to question the usefulness of what they have done. The fact is they have become unable to contribute to the achievement of a just and comprehensive peace in the region. In fact, the optimistic trumpetings by Israel about great progress achieved in the peace process is not true, except from Israel’s point of view.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We are also convinced that the comprehensiveness of the solution would be a guarantee to all parties should they respond to the requirements of peace. The second decision was that the peace option was a strategic one. By so doing we misled no one: neither our own people nor any of the others, as to the truth of our intentions, so that they may act accordingly. In this context, we were absolutely convinced that these two important decisions were going to be in the interest of all parties participating in the peace process. These two decisions, we believed, would also facilitate the task of the two sponsors, the United States and the Russian Federation, in achieving full peace in the region in return for full withdrawal from the Arab territories occupied in 1967.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The United States also confirmed that in pursuance of its previous positions rejecting the extension of Israeli law to the Syrian Golan Heights, it did not agree to the annexation of any part of the territories occupied in 1967. In the light of the complexities of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the suspicions of the Arab parties regarding Israel’s intentions, Syria took two important decisions which complemented one another. The first decision was our commitment to coordinate with the Arab parties participating in the peace process. This was prompted by our conviction that the other Arab parties would benefit from such solidarity as well as from the position of Syria and its various potentialities.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“It is time for the region to enjoy peace and stability. This cannot be achieved through half-measure solutions or through the trickle down of droplets of peace, nor can it be achieved through agreements which encroach on the national dignity or compromise the interests of a nation. Syria accepted the initiative of the United States in which the United States undertook to work towards the achievement of a just and comprehensive peace in the region, on the basis of international legality, Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978) and the land-for-peace formula including a political solution to the question of the national rights of the Palestinian people.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“From this rostrum, and in this context, the Syrian Arab Republic calls upon Israel to accede to the NPT and to place its nuclear installations under the inspection of the Atomic Energy Agency so that the States of the region may be able to agree to extending the Treaty. This, if it is done, will be an important step towards the creation of a climate of confidence which in turn will contribute to building peace and security in the Middle East. Three years have passed since the convening of the Madrid Conference and no just and comprehensive peace 18 in the Middle East has materialized. This is a fact that cannot be cancelled out by the achievement of some progress on some tracks. Our region is the cradle of human civilization and monotheistic religions. Succeeding generations of its peoples have become accustomed to repel invaders.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“It is not acceptable for any one party to have a privileged or exceptional position at the expense of others in regard to sensitive and decisive matters that relate to regional security which ought to be based on co-equality and mutuality. The forthcoming conference of the States Parties to the NPT scheduled to review the extension of its tenure which is about to expire, affords a rare opportunity for all States in the region to demonstrate their peaceful intentions. The accession by all States in the Middle East to the NPT is a vital step towards transforming the Middle East to a region free of all weapons of mass destruction.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Once again, and on the occasion of the Paris Conference on Banning of Chemical Weapons in January 1989, Syria took the initiative to call for making the Middle East a region free of all nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction within the framework of the United Nations. However, Israel did not respond to this call nor did it respond to any of the calls of the United Nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency or those of the Conferences of the Non- Aligned Movement or the Islamic Conference. This is an issue that has become of the utmost importance and gravity, particularly in the light of the ongoing peace process in the Middle East.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)