YouSaid · the spoken record

Mejdoub

lines on the record: 281
first: 2001-03-22
most recent: 2002-10-16
sittings or episodes: 34
sources: un-security-council

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

“Never in colonial history, either as we have lived it or as we have read about it, has a colonial power behaved with such arrogance and cruelty as has Israel in its treatment of President Arafat. We demand the immediate cessation of Israel military operations - all Israeli military operations. We demand a solution for the matter of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, which Israel has desecrated by committing murders and now by setting fires in it. It is shameful that Israel has accused the Palestinians of setting fire to a place in which they have sought refuge, and where they will even be accused of collective suicide. That is untrue. This fire will remain a stain on the history of Israel. What is even more tragic is the situation in which the Security Council finds itself today.”
2002-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4525 (2002) · source
“Major powers must adopt a firm position vis-a-vis Israel; they should heed the call of former President Carter, a man of wise counsel and the man who achieved the first peace agreement between Israel and an Arab State. Having completed the diagnosis of the problem, we must now consider the remedy. First, it must be impressed upon Israel authorities that they must comply - today, and not tomorrow - with Security Council resolutions. The fact that there are ongoing negotiations changes nothing. It is incumbent upon us to support the efforts of the international community to persuade Israel not to persist in its behaviour vis-a-vis President Arafat and to realize that he is the one with whom it must negotiate.”
2002-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4525 (2002) · source
“We are fully aware that pressure groups are an integral part of Western democracies, that is, all minorities have the right to be heard and to use all means at their disposal for this purpose. I do not claim to be an expert on all societies, but I firmly believe that, rather than groups being demonized, settling a dispute through peaceful means is the best electoral guarantee. Success is the ultimate test of politics, and everyone loves a winner. Not all has been lost. Previous efforts and missions have brought about a limited measure of success. We are grateful to all those who have carried out such efforts. However, the occupation persists, with neither a political nor a security solution.”
2002-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4525 (2002) · source
“This is terrible for the United Nations system. Let us imagine that an Arab State has committed an act ten times, or even one hundred times, less grave than those that have been perpetrated. Immediately a strong coalition would have been formed; it would have been noted that the law is the law and that a Security Council resolution must be implemented; sanctions would have been imposed, and the provisions of Chapter VII would have been applied in full. However, the policy of double standards has become a permanent feature of our work. I must state clearly and unequivocally that public opinion in our countries is increasingly opposed to such policies.”
2002-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4525 (2002) · source
“Israeli nationalism, which pragmatic Arabs had ultimately come to accept, has been severely tested. A cursory glance at the New York Times reveals the magnitude of the collateral damage. What a terrible waste, even for Israel! Then there is the most serious crisis, which is the crisis of authority. It is the most serious because it concerns the Council, which is the highest international body and which is ignored by Tel Aviv. I will not elaborate on this, because to do so would be disrespectful of this body. Within a few weeks the Security Council adopted three resolutions, and a presidential statement that for our delegation carries the same authority as the resolutions. Because of the dignity of the Council we need not recall the hopeless words heard two days ago in the Council's consultations.”
2002-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4525 (2002) · source
“How can one demand the surrender of those responsible for an assassination that took place last December and was fully condemned by the Palestinian Authority, while dozens of leading Palestinian officials have been liquidated? Who is going to prosecute those who practice state murder? How could siege be imposed on one of the world's holiest shrines, the Church of the Nativity? This is an outrage that not even the war criminals of World War II dared commit. How could Israel, a young and fragile nation, pursue transgressions that incur the wrath of the entire world? Who bears responsibility for awakening old demons and for fanning the flames of hatred between nations? We are not surprised that, with a few rare exceptions, the whole world is squarely pointing an accusing finger at Sharon's Israel.”
2002-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4525 (2002) · source
“Relief supplies are trickling in slowly, but how can we expedite their delivery when the Israeli army continues to lay siege to Palestinian towns, to carry out incursions into others and to destroy the administrative and social infrastructure in the land it treacherously occupies? We also face a multifaceted moral crisis. How could a country with a claim to intelligence get so mired in an operation led by a man with a well-known past? How could the Israeli peace camp allow such dirty work to be done? How could Israel's allies accept this policy and threaten the use of the veto at the mere mention of the Middle East? How could Sharon be portrayed as a man of peace while, only two days ago and for a month before that, his tanks were besieging President Arafat, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate?”
2002-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4525 (2002) · source
“Peres, have nothing to hide, why have they prevented the dispatch of a fact-finding team that would have established the truth? Why would they reject the impartial testimony of such a team? Does Mr. Sharon himself have to lead an Israeli delegation before the entire world can learn the truth? No. It is guilt, the fear that Israel would be condemned by world opinion and the dread of standing before the court of international opinion that have made them renege on their promises. Israel has rebelled yet again against the will of the Security Council, the Secretary-General and the entire United Nations system. There is nothing new in that. Assistance is needed. The international community must realize the scope of the tragedy and act to ensure the delivery of food and medicine.”
2002-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4525 (2002) · source
“One honourable and exemplary international civil servant has described it as "horrific beyond belief." He shall remain nameless, since a vindictive campaign has already been launched against him. Israel did not allow him to participate in the fact-finding team because he knows too much. We continue to see images of Palestinian children, women and the elderly helplessly wandering around the ruins, bewailing their dead and their property, and of starving Palestinians awaiting international relief efforts. We have seen the sick and the injured bleed slowly to death as the Israeli army has prevented ambulances from doing their job by blocking or shooting at them. I am not trying to conduct a propaganda campaign and I am inclined to say even less than I might. If the Israelis, Mr. Sharon and Mr.”
2002-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4525 (2002) · source
“We have allowed an army to occupy a refugee camp in J enin for days on end and then to carry out a massacre of proportions that will remain unknown until we receive the results of an investigation that Israel has refused to carry out while the Council has stood by. The Council has failed to act in the face of Palestinian misery. The silent images on American television networks, showing the consequences of an apparent earthquake, have shocked the conscience of the world community. We have seen men and women using their hands to dig out the corpses of non-combatants from under the rubble. Eyewitnesses have begun to describe the scene to representatives of international organizations.”
2002-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4525 (2002) · source
“Mr. Mejdoub (Tunisia) (spoke in French): Allow me at the outset, before I plunge into the debate, to offer you, Sir, my congratulations and my best wishes for success in your presidency of the Security Council. This tribute is not circumstantial, because the Tunisian delegation and a great many intellectuals in our country hold you in high esteem. Our tribute extends to your country, Singapore, which has succeeded in its magnificent and spectacular political and socio- economic experiment. My thanks also go out to your predecessor, Ambassador Sergey Lavrov, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation. We are confronting today a three-fold crisis that history will not forgive us for neglecting. First, there is a humanitarian crisis.”
2002-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4525 (2002) · source
“For the moment, we must maintain our vigilance with this draft resolution and tell Tel Aviv: "Withdraw your troops from the towns, villages and holy sites. Do not touch Arafat. Implement the Security Council's resolutions. Stop your atrocities. Be straight with the law." Then peace will come.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“Once the political will makes itself felt, we shall, I repeat, have to return to the idea presented by President Ben Ali two years ago at the Cairo Summit- which has since been taken up by several statesmen and continues to be supported by our valiant and courageous Secretary-General - to send in a multilateral interposition force. It may be assumed that, once it has been dispatched, all violence will come to an end. Neither of the two parties, whom we hold to be responsible, would dare break the armistice. Such a force, which Mr. Annan recommends because he rightly believes the timing to be right, will observe and, if necessary - God forbid - intervene. Recent history has demonstrated the success of such enterprises.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“It has often been said that there is no military solution to this conflict, but a political solution that requires a political state of mind. It is futile to conflate terrorism - which is heinous and condemnable because it strikes innocents - with a national liberation movement, for it must not be forgotten that the Palestinian territories have been occupied for 35 years. The Palestinian aspiration to freedom, independence and a State must be satisfied along with the Israeli right to security - I repeat, along with the Israeli right to security. That is what President Arafat's colleagues have said every day on CNN and every American television channel.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“It is up to Israel to prove that a cousin is part of the family and therefore cannot be a perpetual kidnapper. The Arab world put all its political cards on the table at the Beirut summit: an end to belligerence, along with recognition, normalization and cooperation. Why has Mr. Sharon not yet seized the opportunity to say precisely what he is ready to do to pull the entire region out of crisis? I am afraid he may be incorrigible, but let those who deal with him and apparently let him get away with everything take the credit for saving a situation that the Eisenhower-Foster Dulles team was perfectly able to handle in very similar circumstances with David Ben-Gurion. The Bush-Powell team ought to be able to do as much.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“I want to believe that the America that we discovered in our youth, with universal values, cannot be subjected to the whims of an extremist Likud's unbridled ultranationalism. I express our hope of seeing all of Europe, from the Atlantic to the Caspian - the Europe of the French, the Europe of the British, the Europe of the Norwegians, the Europe of the Irish and the Europe of the Bulgarians - join its efforts with those of Russia and China, with those of the non-aligned States of the Council, to say: We want a just world, a civilized world; we reject the behaviour of an outlaw Israel. May the members of the Council consider the suffering of the Palestinian people, who say they are ready to sacrifice 75 per cent of their historical land area in order to be able to live alongside Israel.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“An American intellectual recently said to me: "I have always supported Israel, but I can no longer support the Israel of Sharon." That is why I believe that the resolution that we submitted to the Council several days ago, which we postponed out of respect for Secretary of State Colin Powell and the "quartet", is a wake-up call to the Western conscience, of which we have never despaired. I am one of those who believe that today the Council is being offered an opportunity to calm the demons of this new Israel that many no longer recognize, to enlighten those who support Israel about Arab opinions that are inflamed by injustice, and to admit that - if one wishes a law to be applicable to all - the law must not be written using two weights and two measures.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“For three weeks now - or rather, I should say, 14 months - we have been faced with an unprecedented phenomenon in the history of the United Nations: an Israeli State, which owes its life to this Organization - because, let us not forget that it was a United Nations resolution that established its birth in 1948 - now expands, taking over its neighbours by confiscating their land and now committing war crimes. We think we must be dreaming, because we see it not only defying international law, but also defying its own protectors.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“Resuming the political process is the only way to seek a settlement and to enable the Palestinian people to attain their inalienable right to establish their own State, alongside the State of Israel, in accordance with resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 1397 (2002), and in keeping with the position adopted by the Arab summit in Beirut, a position which is supported by the entire international community. (spoke in French) I will give the interpreters an opportunity to switch languages and will now speak in French.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“These actions, which have been requested by numerous international parties and by many civil society and international organizations, are the only way to correct mistakes before the situation deteriorates even more than we could ever have expected. In our view, sending an international force is the most appropriate means of protecting the Palestinian people from Israeli oppression and the only useful way to restore stability to the region. We welcome the initiative announced by the Secretary-General today to the Council to send such an international force.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“Seventh, ambulances and humanitarian workers must be allowed to move freely throughout the occupied territories. Eighth, information blackouts, delays and misinformation must stop. The mass media and humanitarian organizations must be allowed to know what has occurred, to know what crimes have been committed in the field against Palestinian civilians. Ninth, there must be a positive response to the request of Mrs. Mary Robinson and her delegation to carry out a fact-finding mission in the occupied territory - which she was requested to lead by a resolution of the Commission on Human Rights. Finally, the Secretary-General should be requested to send an international force to monitor events and the activities of the Israeli occupation authorities in the reoccupied areas.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“Third, all humanitarian organizations must be allowed to enter the territory, particularly the Jenin camp, in order to ensure that unarmed civilians receive international assistance. Fourth, the siege imposed against many sacred sites, including the Church of the Nativity, must be lifted. A humanitarian crime could be committed in that Church, an act that would remain a blemish on the world's conscience. Fifth, the thought of expelling Palestinians from their land must be rejected, because, according to the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, that would be a war crime. Sixth, the siege imposed against the Palestinian leadership must be lifted and the undermining of its symbols and sovereignty must stop immediately.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“If they are, the Council will lose its legitimacy and credibility, which stem from the Charter. Because of Israel's refusal to abide by the international will, resolution of the Palestinian problem must be internationalized. That could be achieved through greater commitment on the part of the international parties, particularly the United States of America, the Russian Federation and the European Union. What is needed now is, first, to compel Israel to withdraw immediately and unconditionally from the Palestinian cities and villages it has reoccupied. Second, all restrictions that the occupation authorities have imposed against humanitarian organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, must be removed.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“We do not want to shirk our responsibility or to take any action that is not in conformity with the provisions of international law or that contravenes any various humanitarian or ethical norms. We must say "enough is enough" to those who have made peaceful coexistence impossible and who have made violations of international law their trademark in political dealings. We must all assume this responsibility, without applying double standards or preferential treatment. International law is a comprehensive, integrated concept. Members of this international body must act in conformity with international commitments and must implement United Nations resolutions. Respect for and implementation of Security Council resolutions should not be the object of ridicule and disrespect.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“This is clearly an attempt on the part of Israel to stall so it can eliminate all traces of the crimes against humanity it has committed both inside and outside Palestinian camps. The shocking and regrettable developments that we have witnessed since the adoption of resolution 1397 (2002) have given rise to doubts about the credibility of the Council, which has since adopted two more resolutions - 1402 (2002) and 1403 (2002) - aimed at forcing Israel to abide by international legitimacy and the collective will of the international community, as expressed through the Council. The Security Council has time and again adopted resolutions whose goal is to prevent the situation from spiralling out of control and to avert its serious repercussions. We ask once again for the will of the international community to be affirmed.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“This was confirmed by Human Rights Watch, which said that collective punishment has been meted out to unarmed Palestinian civilians, including physical liquidation, detention and arbitrary arrests, which are considered by Human Rights Watch and by other humanitarian organizations to be war crimes and absolutely forbidden by international law. The Israeli authorities have refused to allow any measures to be taken that could confirm what I have spoken of as well as the terrible crimes committed inside the camps. Israel has even prevented an international delegation headed by Mary Robinson, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, from going to the occupied territories in accordance with a resolution adopted by the Commission on Human Rights, which is currently in session in Geneva.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“To besiege an entire people; to resort to any and all means in order to starve them and deprive them of safety and medicine; to continue with the wholesale killing and massacring of innocent people in the camps, particularly in Jenin - under international law, these actions are considered war crimes against humanity, including crimes of liquidation and of genocide. Despite the fact that the media, humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organizations, including Israeli ones, have been prevented from entering the camps to see what has been done by the Israeli authorities, it has been proved without a doubt that crimes of war have been committed against the Palestinian people.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“He has even gone to the extreme by neglecting all international calls to resort to reason, to have foresight, to avoid political one-upmanship and to stop jeopardizing the interests of the Palestinian and Israeli peoples as well as the safety and security of the international community as a whole. The results of the actions of the Israeli army, acting under direct orders from Prime Minister Sharon, have serious repercussions from the standpoint of international law, political norms and even human morality.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“As we all know, the international community as a whole had pinned its hopes on that mission, given the threats facing the security of the Middle East region as well as international peace and security. We must therefore think calmly about the potential consequences and repercussions of those threats at all levels. Our hopes of seeing the provisions of resolution 1403 (2002) implemented have been dashed, because the Prime Minister of Israel is using a suicide policy as the basis for rejecting all United Nations resolutions, in particular those of the Security Council.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“Mr. Mejdoub (Tunisia) (spoke in Arabic): Mr. President, I should like at the outset, on behalf of the Arab Group - whose chairmanship I have the honour to hold this month - to thank you for responding so quickly to our request to hold this urgent meeting of the Security Council, at which we are considering once again the dangerous situation prevailing in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in the territories that are under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and which have been reoccupied by Israel. This meeting is important because it is being held following the mission undertaken in the region by the Secretary of State of the United States, Mr. Colin Powell.”
2002-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4515 (2002) · source
“All obstacles placed on the Palestinian Authority's infrastructure must be removed immediately with a view to laying the groundwork for the resumption of the peace process and the revival of the inescapable and indispensable Israeli-Palestinian negotiating track, especially in the aftermath of the Beirut Arab Summit, which made it abundantly clear that peace is the strategic option chosen by all Arab States.”
2002-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4510 (2002) · source
“While we demand immediate implementation of Council resolutions, especially the most recent one, resolution 1403 (2002), and the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied Palestinian territories, we underscore the need for mustering all efforts of the international community, especially the major international players, such as the "quartet", in order to ensure urgent international protection for the Palestinian people and to prevent any further deterioration of the situation. We must also stress the need for immediate and effective action to end the siege imposed on the great national fighter and leader of the Palestinian people's national march, President Arafat.”
2002-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4510 (2002) · source
“What is at stake today is the credibility of the Council, which is entrusted with the maintenance of international peace and security. In these extremely tragic circumstances, we cannot stand idly by in the face of the appalling Israeli conduct, as if we were declaring the international community unable to force Israel to comply with the Security Council's resolutions and to put an end to the dangerous spiral of its practices, which constitute a clear threat to international peace and security. Tunisia reaffirms its full solidarity with the fraternal Palestinian people and its legitimate leadership headed by President Arafat, in order to restore all the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among which is the establishment of an independent State of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital.”
2002-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4510 (2002) · source
“However, the Israeli occupying Power, in flagrant defiance of all the aforementioned resolutions, has refused and persisted with adamant stubbornness in its all-out, ferocious war in the Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps, allowing itself to kill countless numbers of unarmed Palestinian civilians in flagrant violation of the norms of international law and international humanitarian law, in an unmistakable attempt to present the international community with a fait accompli, so that Israel could later disavow its obligations under the relevant United Nations resolutions. The Ambassador of the United Kingdom, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, said that what Israel is doing constitutes self-condemnation and that the Council must therefore underline and officially affirm this condemnation in its resolutions.”
2002-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4510 (2002) · source
“George Bush, for the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the Palestinian cities that had been reoccupied, for a freeze on all settlement activities and for the withdrawal from the Palestinian territories, in conformity with resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). We also welcomed with high expectations the news of the peaceful mission to the region of the United States Secretary of State, Mr. Colin Powell, for which we have high hopes.”
2002-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4510 (2002) · source
“We are dismayed by the Israeli military machine's persistent use of brutal force in the occupied Palestinian territories, with open recklessness and disregard for the will of the international community and an open contempt for the series of appeals made by the peace-loving parties. We have expressed our great appreciation for the international community's progress in addressing the deteriorating situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. That progress came in the form of the Council's adoption of resolutions 1397 (2002), 1402 (2002) and 1403 (2002), which call for the establishment of a Palestinian State within secure and internationally recognized borders and for the immediate Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories. We also welcomed the call made by the President of the United States, Mr.”
2002-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4510 (2002) · source
“Mr. Mejdoub (Tunisia) (spoke in Arabic): Mr. President, allow me at the outset to express to you on behalf of the Arab Group, whose chairmanship we hold for this month, our thanks and appreciation for your prompt response in convening this emergency meeting. It is being held in tragic circumstances that cause sentiments of sorrow, bewilderment and condemnation, due to the continued deterioration of the situation in the Palestinian territories and the Israeli Government's insistence on betting on the logic of war and weaponry rather than drawing on the logic of peace and dialogue on the basis of the United Nations resolutions, which are the foundation of the peace process. We are dismayed by the total disregard of Sharon's Government for the relevant United Nations resolutions, especially those recently adopted by the Security Council.”
2002-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4510 (2002) · source
“The Arab States hope that the Security Council will now call for the immediate implementation of resolutions 1397 (2002) and 1402 (2002) - as strongly called for by the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, during his meeting with the Council and in his presentation of his report - while recalling the need for the immediate application of operative paragraph 1 of resolution 1402 (2002) without any linkage, as called for by the Secretary-General and the previous Security Council President, the Ambassador of Norway. This should be done before a vote is taken on any resolution. International protection for the Palestinian people has become one of the most urgent and overriding requirements because this is the only guarantee available thus far to halt the dangerous and very tragic escalation of violence.”
2002-04-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4506 (2002) · source
“We consider that Israel's persistence in pursuing such a futile policy and political adventurism not only is harmful to the civilian population but will also have serious repercussions for the Israelis themselves. In fact, the excessive recourse to military force does not guarantee the security of Israel. It can, in fact, lead to further deterioration and to a flare-up in the region as a whole, thereby creating a clear threat to international peace and security. In the light of this painful situation, we consider that there is no alternative to withdrawing all Israeli forces from all occupied Palestinian territories, the lifting of the siege imposed on President Arafat's compound and addressing immediately the security situation so that peace negotiations can be resumed.”
2002-04-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4506 (2002) · source
“The fact that the Israeli Prime Minister has threatened to exile President Arafat from his country and homeland marks a new stage in the deterioration of the situation, revealing the genuine intentions of Prime Minister Sharon, who has flagrantly disregarded international law, international humanitarian law and the 1949 Geneva Convention. Those actions confirm that he is continuing his policy of physical elimination, that he is perpetrating war crimes punishable under international law and that he considers the reoccupied Palestinian territories as zones closed to journalists and the media. This is further evidence of Prime Minister Sharon's intentions, namely, the physical elimination and genocide of the unarmed Palestinian population.”
2002-04-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4506 (2002) · source
“Israel's immediate rejection of resolution 1402 (2002) and the dangerous escalation of the activities of the Israeli armed forces in the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as the continuation of the siege imposed on President Arafat's compound, represent a flagrant defiance of international law and international humanitarian law. They clearly demonstrate that the policy of the Government of Prime Minister Sharon is based on a rejection of the peace option and is an endeavour to abort any international or Arab initiative that could lead to a comprehensive and just settlement of the Middle East problem.”
2002-04-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4506 (2002) · source
“Mr. Mejdoub (Tunisia) (spoke in Arabic): Allow me, Sir, to congratulate you on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month. We hope that your work will be crowned with success. I would also like to thank the Ambassador of Norway for his excellent leadership of the Council during the previous month. I would like to thank you sincerely, Sir, for your rapid response in convening this emergency meeting, which is taking place in the light of the dangerous deterioration of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, despite the recently adopted Security Council resolutions, namely resolutions 1397 (2002) and 1402 (2002), the latter being adopted last Saturday.”
2002-04-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4506 (2002) · source
“Tunisia appeals to the Security Council to address this extremely grave and urgent situation with firmness. We call upon the Security Council to seize the historic opportunity offered by the Beirut summit. We must ensure that Israel does not make us miss this rendezvous with history and this wonderful political opportunity.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“In this extremely sensitive situation, Tunisia appeals yet again to all the members of the international community to shoulder their responsibility, to rise to the challenge in the occupied territories and to use their influence to put an end to the Israeli campaign of aggression against the Palestinian people. Tunisia reaffirms that international protection must be provided to the Palestinian people. All necessary measures must be taken as soon as possible to guarantee the personal safety of President Arafat, and the siege on him must be lifted. Israel must be compelled to respect international legality and comply with existing agreements. It must respond seriously and responsibly to the current Arab and international peace initiatives.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“The siege on President Yasser Arafat must be lifted immediately and unconditionally: in the eyes of the international community, he remains the very embodiment of the Palestinian people and their legitimate elected leader and representative. Talks must begin to find a comprehensive solution to the security problem so that peace negotiations can resume. For some time the Palestinian side has demonstrated its wish to negotiate a political solution on the basis of agreed texts and existing arrangements and terms of reference. The Beirut summit aimed to put on the table a unified, comprehensive and clear-cut Arab initiative, consistent with international law, that would promote a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to these problems and would take account of the interests of all the parties.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“The reoccupation of territories under Palestinian control is a policy that is tantamount to State terrorism. It is also a means of economically strangling the area. The policy of humiliation and targeted assassinations devised by the Sharon Government in order to deal with developments on the ground is the principal fuel for the mounting frustration and despair of the Palestinian people, who see that the prospects of an entire people have been dimmed. To put an end to the threat looming as a result of the present situations, all Israeli forces must immediately withdraw from territories under Palestinian authority.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“Sharon's Government - which became more radicalized during the holding of the historic Arab Summit in Beirut - demonstrate that Israel refuses peace, as it did when the Arab States, meeting in Beirut, held out an offer of comprehensive peace which had elicited the support of the vast majority of States. Since the Madrid Conference, we have known full well that Mr. Sharon is waiting for any Arab or international initiative that might lead to a just and comprehensive solution of the problem in the Middle East, so that he can sabotage it. It was no coincidence that Mr. Sharon led a provocative mission to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in September 2000. Indeed, at that very time many peace initiatives were under way, and great strides were being made in the direction of peace.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“Mr. Mejdoub (Tunisia) (spoke in Arabic): Mr. President, we wish to thank you very warmly for having responded to our request for this emergency meeting. This meeting was made necessary by the situation prevailing in the occupied Palestinian territories, which have been reoccupied and where a full-fledged war has been unleashed against the Palestinian Authority and its leader, Chairman Arafat. Chairman Arafat is not only being held hostage but also is in danger of being killed by Israel's military, under the command of Prime Minister Sharon, who in the past has been notorious for his policy of oppression and deliberate attacks against civilians, including assassinations. These large-scale attacks and the direct occupation of territories under Palestinian control demonstrate once again that Mr.”
2002-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4503 (2002) · source
“We welcome all these ideas and believe that it is high time that they be turned into practical and concrete initiatives. For more than a generation now, Tunisia has consistently advocated a political solution to the Palestinian question and to the situation in the Middle East. Today, at this delicate international and political juncture, it appeals to the international community to act with the urgency required by the gravity of the situation in the Middle East.”
2002-02-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4478 (2002) · source
“Secondly, the Israeli Government must furnish proof of its willingness to achieve peace and declare its desire to resume negotiations, especially since Palestinian leaders proclaim this every day. Thirdly, we urge that negotiations be resumed urgently on the basis of international legitimacy and new instruments, especially the Mitchell and Tenet plans. Fourthly, there is no doubt that the United States has an essential role to play in settling this conflict. Both President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell in Louisville enunciated this vision. Recently, other new ideas have been proposed, particularly by France and the Arab side, which has never stopped demonstrating its full willingness to find a political settlement to the Palestinian question and to the situation in the Middle East.”
2002-02-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4478 (2002) · source