YouSaid · the spoken record

Roed-Larsen

lines on the record: 386
first: 2002-09-20
most recent: 2009-05-07
sittings or episodes: 15
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

“Although no agreement has been reached as yet, efforts continue - ones that, we hope, will soon lead to a full and lasting ceasefire between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict exacts a toll on the lives of the people of the region in ways other than violence. The humanitarian situation remains dire in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Continued closures and Israeli military operations hinder Palestinian economic and social activity and cause the Palestinian people to endure daily humiliations. The economic situation is still very poor, with high unemployment and widespread poverty. However, according to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Palestinian Ministry of Finance, the West Bank economy stabilized in 2003.”
2004-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4912 (2004) · source
“I regret to report that, during the current reporting period, the relative reduction of terrorist attacks was shattered on 29 January by a suicide bombing in Jerusalem that killed 11 and injured at least 50. We must reiterate our utter condemnation of terrorism. No cause can justify such heinous crimes. We urge the Palestinian Authority to take the steps necessary to bring those who plan, facilitate and carry out such attacks to justice. In the context of this continuing violence and terror, we applaud the Government of Egypt for its continuing and tireless efforts to secure a ceasefire by working with the Palestinian Authority and a variety of Palestinian groups and with Israel.”
2004-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4912 (2004) · source
“A total of 24 Palestinians were killed during the exchange of fire in those raids. In addition, a series of Israeli military incursions in the area of Rafah next to the Egyptian border has left nearly 600 people homeless through house demolitions. In all, nearly 10,000 people have lost their homes since October 2000. The tragic outcome of those events underscores the importance of the parties' taking immediate steps to return to the negotiating table in order to end such violence. We call on the Government of Israel to fulfil its responsibilities under international law to protect civilians. We call upon the Palestinian Authority to fully ensure that only authorized individuals within defined security forces have access to and are allowed to have weapons, in keeping with that entity's law.”
2004-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4912 (2004) · source
“We remain in a stalemate characterized by continued violence and lack of constructive progress on the road map, with Israeli occupation still firmly entrenched and little concrete Palestinian movement on reform. Sadly, the Gaza withdrawal announcement occurred in the context of a recent upsurge in violence that has led to more bloodshed, loss of life and misery. Since the last briefing on 16 January, at total of 11 Israelis and 65 Palestinians, including at least eight under age, have died. At least 305 Palestinians and 58 Israelis have been injured. That brings the death toll since September 2000 to 925 Israelis and 3,165 Palestinians. Much of the recent Israel military action has been concentrated in the Gaza Strip. Many of the Palestinian deaths came during two raids - one in January and one last week.”
2004-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4912 (2004) · source
“In practice, a withdrawal must be negotiated between the two sides or through a third party. That was the case of the so-called unilateral withdrawal by Israel from southern Lebanon, which in fact was negotiated by the United Nations under the auspices of the Security Council. Such cooperation and assistance should readily be given. As long as the removal of settlers in the Gaza Strip is a true withdrawal, it should be supported as a bold confidence-building act and a first step to the fulfilment of the United Nations calls to the Government of Israel to end its occupation, as set forth in Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). This cautiously positive view of the situation is tempered by the grim reality that confronts both Palestinians and Israelis.”
2004-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4912 (2004) · source
“If both parties engage in good faith and are guided by the international community under the auspices of the Quartet, real progress can be made. The alternatives could lead to dramatic and negative consequences. Still, much has been made of the possible unilateral nature of this move. It is unlikely that, in practice, an orderly withdrawal of thousands of settlers from the Gaza Strip could take place without cooperation from the Palestinian Authority and the assistance of the international community. Without such cooperation and assistance, a withdrawal could easily strengthen the most radical elements, weaken the Palestinian Authority further and lead eventually to more violence. In that sense, the term "unilateral withdrawal" is not particularly meaningful, because such a withdrawal cannot take place in vacuum.”
2004-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4912 (2004) · source
“The second is unilateral Israeli disengagement from parts of the occupied Palestinian territory, starting in Gaza, but not as part of a process or re-engagement. The third centres on the inability of the parties to enact that withdrawal, which would maintain the status quo, with all the violence and misery that goes with it. That could lead to the rapid erosion of the Palestinian Authority and, with it, growing disorder, chaos and possibly even gang rule in the occupied Palestinian territory. Such a scenario would be deeply against Palestinian and Israeli interests and could be a destabilizing element in the region. The only viable long-term option for both parties is the first - the resumption of the peace process.”
2004-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4912 (2004) · source
“Further statements of support have been made by our Quartet colleagues and other Member States engaged in the attempt to forge peace in the region. But, as the Secretary-General said after Mr. Sharon's announcement, the withdrawal from Gaza must be seen as a first step. It must be made in the context of the road map and as part of a cooperative engagement between Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the international community. We anticipate hearing more fully, and in operational terms, about Mr. Sharon's plan soon. The announcement has set the stage for three possible scenarios in the coming months. One is the resumption of a vigorous peace process, with re- engagement between Israel and many of its Arab partners.”
2004-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4912 (2004) · source
“Sharon has announced preparations for one bold step which could re-establish the requisite trust between the two parties to fulfil all their requirements under the road map. Earlier this month, he announced that he would withdraw the Israeli military and settlements from the Gaza Strip, where they control about 40 per cent of the land. No Israeli prime minister has previously had the boldness and the vision to say he will remove settlers - as long called for by the international community - and initiate a plan for its implementation. The proposed step - withdrawal from occupied territory - should be welcomed by all. Prime Minister Qurei did so recently after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, saying he would accept it as a first step of a broader withdrawal.”
2004-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4912 (2004) · source
“Mr. Roed-Larsen: When I last briefed the Council in December, I struck a cautiously optimistic tone, citing the opening of a narrow window of opportunity for resuming the peace process. This window of opportunity - based primarily on the stated willingness of both sides to talk to each other - still remains open. In recent weeks, key Israeli and Palestinian officials have met. We hope that a first meeting between the two Prime Ministers, Mr. Qurei and Mr. Sharon, will come at the earliest opportunity. If they do indeed meet, as we expect, we might see the preparation for bold actions we have long called for - actions that could allow us finally to move down the path to peace as envisioned in the Quartet's road map and endorsed in security Council resolution 1515 (2003). Already, Mr.”
2004-02-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4912 (2004) · source
“In this situation, time is not the ally of peace. Waiting merely prolongs the suffering. I hope that the parties will recognize the urgent need of bold action and begin immediately to implement effectively the Quartet's road map. I would be delighted if, in its first briefing of the new year to the Security Council, the Secretariat would be able to report that the parties were firmly on the path to a just, lasting and comprehensive settlement of this long and painful conflict, based on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002) and 1515 (2003).”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“In the last briefing to the Council, Under- Secretary-General Prendergast characterized the period under review as a lost month in Middle East peacemaking. During the current reporting period an opportunity to make progress has arisen. I fervently hope that the leaders of the two sides will avail themselves of that chance; and I hope that the international community will help them take up that opportunity. In recent years we have seen too many missed chances and squandered opportunities for peace. It would be a pity if in the next briefing, the first of 2004, the Secretariat had cause to cite another lost month. The cost could be devastating. The current hopes for peace among the peoples could be replaced by the creeping paralysis of a hopeless outlook, by a greater hardening of positions and by a deepening of the spiral of violence.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“There were no reports of anti-aircraft fire from the Lebanese side of the Blue Line on either of those occasions. We are hopeful that that relative but uneasy calm reflects a renewed willingness by the parties to avoid escalatory actions. Nonetheless, as the incident of 9 December shows, the potential for such escalation remains high. It is, therefore, of great importance that all parties continue to exercise restraint and refrain from any and all violations of the Blue Line. Also in the region, President Bashar Al-Assad gave a newspaper interview, in which he called on the United States to revive peace talks between his country and Israel. That was a timely reminder that the objective towards which we are working must be a just, lasting and comprehensive peace, and that we cannot afford to neglect any of the tracks of the peace process.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“He concluded that due to its continued building of the barrier, Israel is not in compliance with the General Assembly's demand that it halt and reverse construction. The uneasy calm that has prevailed along the Blue Line since the last briefing to the Council was broken on 9 December, when two Lebanese persons armed with hunting rifles were killed by the Israeli Defence Force after they crossed into the Israeli side of the Blue Line, according to preliminary reports by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. Despite that sad and unfortunate incident and although tensions remain high, developments on the ground suggest that the parties are exercising some restraint. Although Israeli over-flights continue, they have been dramatically reduced in frequency. Also, since the last briefing, Israeli jets violated the Blue Line twice.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“These humanitarian and other concerns are exacerbated by the continuing construction of the barrier in the West Bank. The Secretariat has regularly briefed the Security Council on the barrier, pointing out that its construction on Palestinian land and its planned route makes the establishment of a contiguous, viable and sovereign Palestinian State more difficult and increases the suffering of the Palestinian people. The Secretary-General recently submitted to the General Assembly a report on the barrier (A/ES-10/248) requested by resolution ES-10/13 of 21 October 2003. In that report he said: "In the midst of the road map process, when each party should be making good-faith confidence- building gestures, the Barrier's construction in the West Bank cannot, in this regard, be seen as anything but a deeply counterproductive act" (para. 29).”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“This includes a possible new performance- based trust fund to help alleviate the estimated $650 million shortfall in the Palestinian Authority budget and a proposed new tripartite framework for the donors, the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel to work together in a true spirit of cooperation. Plans for a meeting on Monday within the new tripartite framework have been confirmed. The donors reiterated their commitment to helping the Palestinian people, but they also voiced serious concerns. The humanitarian crisis has forced donors to redirect funding from development to emergency relief. This in turn is often hampered by Israeli security actions, leading to increased frustration among many donors and aid agencies. Many donors will require a renewed peace process in order to sustain their levels of support.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“Between 2000 and 2002, Palestinian economic losses amounted to an estimated $5.4 billion, the equivalent of one year's worth of total income for the Palestinian economy. Real gross domestic product declined some 33 per cent between 1999 and 2002. Total investment fell from $1.45 billion to $150 million in the same period. Approximately 2.5 million Palestinians are under the poverty line, or about 60 per cent of the total population. Most Palestinians receive some form of assistance, with approximately 40 per cent of the population food insecure. Unemployment runs at about 30 per cent and some half the population cannot access their usual health services. The donor meeting produced new proposals for assisting the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“This week in Rome, the main donors that provide support to the Palestinian Authority met in the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee for the Coordination of International Assistance to Palestinians to review their assistance and consider the current situation. The meeting, generously hosted by the Government of Italy and chaired by the Government of Norway, was attended by high-level Palestinian and Israeli delegations, including the Palestinian Ministers Sha'ath, Fayyad, Masri and Kassis and Israeli Foreign Minister Shalom. Their presence was the most powerful expression yet of the fact that both parties have a renewed desire to engage. At the meeting, the donors discussed the extent of the economic and humanitarian crisis that they are continuing to help alleviate. I would like to update you on some of the key indicators.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“Yet 24 Palestinians are dead, including six yesterday in Rafah in the Gaza Strip. As we have consistently stated in this forum, Israel's legitimate defence of its citizens must not contravene its duty as an occupying Power to protect the lives and safety of Palestinian civilians. Israeli military operations in populated areas too frequently result in the deaths and injury of non-combatant Palestinian men, women and children. I must stress that both parties must do everything possible to halt this senseless loss of life. The bloody alternative to peace would only be more additions to the current overall death toll since September 2000, namely, 2,969 Palestinians and 863 Israelis. I hope we will soon be able to provide a briefing that does not need to update these numbers.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“The donor community needs to know that, as they continue to provide such support, the parties will engage in a peace process that will pave the way to a full, just and lasting peace. We can only proceed if these core issues and dilemmas are recognized and accepted as a reality by both parties and the international community. They must be addressed in parallel, not sequentially or with preconditions. Since the last briefing to the Security Council, 27 people have lost their lives to the conflict - 24 Palestinians and 3 Israelis. It is a sign of the extent of the violence that has consumed Israelis and Palestinians that this death toll corresponds to a relatively quiet period. For example, fortunately and due in part to attempts being thwarted by Israeli security forces, there has not been a completed suicide bombing since 4 October.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“For Palestinians, this crisis is about more than the hardship they are enduring. Easing their plight is simply not enough. In their eyes, this crisis remains much more fundamental: it is a struggle for their identity and national aspirations. They need to know that if they enter a process, it has the end of the occupation and a viable, independent and sovereign State as an end goal, and that they are not capitulating to the extremely damaging effects of Israeli security measures on their lives. The donor community also faces a catch-22 situation; the more than $1 billion they provide annually undoubtedly helps alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people. However, in some eyes, this money helps subsidize an Israeli occupation that increases hardship for the average Palestinian.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“Palestinians want to finally end the occupation with the confidence that they will have a truly viable and independent State. But to get on track, to fulfil these desires, both parties and the international community face fundamental dilemmas that must be overcome. For Israelis, the closure system in the occupied Palestinian territory is a catch-22 situation that developed as a response to murderous terrorist attacks. They feel that if closures are eased, the potential for new terrorist attacks will rise. But if the closure persists, the living conditions and livelihood of the Palestinian population will only worsen. Israelis need to know that if they enter a process, they will find true security and recognition at the end and that they are not simply capitulating to the waves of terror attacks they have endured.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“Under such an approach, Israelis and Palestinians need a determined and engaged international community, led by the Quartet, to help them return to the path to peace and, once there, stay on it. To that end, I met on Wednesday with my fellow Quartet envoys in Rome after an important high- level donor meeting. The Quartet will assist the nascent bilateral efforts currently under way and guide the parties in their implementation of the road map. The issue today is how to spark the process. To do so, each of the parties will need to address the core concerns of the other side, which can roughly be defined as territory and terror. Israelis want an end to terrorism, leading to lasting and true security in a fully recognized State.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“While these initiatives show us where we must go, they are not inconsistent with the road map and lend vital hope and sustenance to peacemaking efforts, I believe that even their framers realize that quick implementation is not possible, given the current political climate. In saying this, I am not at all dismissing the Geneva Accord or the Peoples' Voice principles. On the contrary, this sort of track-two activity gives vital reassurance that there may after all be a partner for peace on the other side. That leaves us with the only viable route - a step-by-step approach assisted by bold confidence- building measures. In other words, bilateral negotiations based on the road map and facilitated by the international community.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“It might be perceived by some that only force, violence and terror can create change and that it is not necessary to arrive at a peaceful settlement through negotiations underpinned by international legitimacy. It might be perceived by others that a partial unilateral withdrawal, from only some of the occupied Palestinian territory, would be enough to settle the issue once and for all. But a just and lasting peace can best be achieved by both sides working out a resolution across a negotiating table with the active support and involvement of the international community. Thirdly, an "absolutist approach" based on the aforementioned civil society initiatives advocates an immediate and comprehensive resolution of the conflict.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“The Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon has been cited by some as a precedent for unilateralism. I think it is timely to recall that that withdrawal was not unilateral: it was carried out under Security Council supervision and with intense support from the United Nations Secretariat negotiating with both parties over the course of several months to draw up the so-called Blue Line. In that process, Israel complied fully with relevant Security Council resolutions. The lesson from the Lebanon withdrawal is that international support can effectively facilitate Middle East peace efforts. Any withdrawal from occupied land is praiseworthy, but a unilateral withdrawal would contain problematic elements.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“Finally, the Security Council's endorsement of the road map in resolution 1515 (2003) is an extremely positive step that deepens the international community's support of the peace process. While it is tempting to be optimistic given the factors I have outlined, the current situation remains very fragile. So, where might it lead? There appear to be four main possibilities. First, if real negotiations restart but fail to revive the peace process, the risks are grave. Hopes will be dashed, leaders on both sides will find it extremely difficult to re-engage, and we could recede further into the darkness. Such a lack of progress would only strengthen the enemies of peace. Secondly, some Israelis have recently proposed a unilateral withdrawal from parts of the occupied Palestinian territory.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“The Geneva Accord and the Peoples' Voice initiative have been widely lauded. A recent Israeli poll indicates that 75 per cent of the Jewish Israeli population in Israel supports holding negotiations for peace with the Palestinians; 65 per cent support the establishment of a Palestinian State in the context of advanced negotiations; about 60 per cent agree with the evacuation of Gaza and remote and isolated West Bank settlements. While civil initiatives cannot substitute for the officials of the parties negotiating, they are significant indications that Israelis and Palestinians can work together to constructively bridge their differences. These initiatives and the poll results also show what we can all feel on the ground - an intense weariness of the current tragic state of affairs and a desire for real change.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“We expect that on issues such as the barrier, settlement expansion and military actions that affect Palestinian civilians, Prime Minister Sharon's Government will act in ways that support the peace process. We remain willing to provide the help Israel might need to fulfil its road map obligations. We applaud the Government of Egypt for its tireless efforts to secure a ceasefire by working with the Palestinian Authority and a variety of Palestinian groups. Though there has been no agreement reached as of yet, efforts continue and we hope they will soon lead to a full and lasting ceasefire between Israelis and Palestinians. Two praiseworthy civil society initiatives are under way that reflect a strong desire by both peoples for a just, lasting and secure end to this conflict.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“There are a number of factors behind the opening of this window. A new Palestinian government has taken office, led by a Prime Minister, Ahmed Qurei, who has a long history of negotiating with Israel. Since assuming office last month, he has reiterated the Palestinian Authority's full commitment to the road map and expressed a strong willingness to resume talks with Israeli authorities. We will fully support his efforts to implement the road map. We will also fully expect him to take steps to deal with violent groups. Notably, Mr. Qurei has been a consistent and forceful critic of Palestinian terrorist attacks. Israeli Prime Minister Sharon has also made clear his desire to meet his Palestinian counterpart and restart the peace process, based on the Quartet's road map, to which he has committed himself on several occasions.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“Mr. Roed-Larsen: In the last two Secretariat briefings to the Security Council, we painted a bleak picture of the situation in the Middle East. A spate of violence in the summer and early autumn led to a stalemate in the peace process. Despite a lack of diplomatic progress, recent months have nonetheless been characterized by relative quiet on the ground - with no major terror attacks by Palestinians and a marked decline in Israeli military operations. Once again, we have a narrow window of opportunity, one in which the parties need to take positive steps to truly put the peace process back on track. Each side has reiterated its commitment to the Quartet's road map, and now is the time for them to fulfil their road map obligations and take necessary, bold confidence-building measures to restore hope.”
2003-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4879 (2003) · source
“As I see it, only simultaneous, reciprocal steps - where one side concedes land and the other stops terror - can bring us back to the path of the road map and lead us rapidly forwards to the defined end-goals of the road map.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824Resumption1 (2003) · source
“I would like to emphasize that those have to address the two main concerns, namely, territory and terrorism. At this stage, I believe no Palestinian leader can put an end to all forms of terror without broad popular support for the necessary and painful security measures that have to be taken. However, such popular support can only be mustered through the Palestinian people seeing, in real terms, at least the beginning of the end of the occupation. That means, in operational terms, starting the vacating of settlements and halting work on the wall. On the other hand, no Prime Minister can muster popular support for territorial concessions under waves of terrorist attacks murdering innocent civilians.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Mr. Roed-Larsen: I have taken note of the fact that many members of the Council share my deep concern and sadness over the new bloodshed and the deepening crisis in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, it has been both heartening and encouraging to hear so many members supporting the efforts of the Quartet, as well as to hear voices agreeing that, in order to restart, we have to speed up the road map process - moving from baby steps, if I may say so, to bigger and bolder steps. I have also taken note of the fact that, despite deep differences, both the Palestinian and the Israeli representative here - although with very different perspectives - still keep the road map as their reference point. New confidence between the parties has to be shaped through deeds.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824Resumption1 (2003) · source
“We would surrender to those who want to reign through force and terror - to rule not by the rule of law but by that of man. If so, we would abandon the people of the region to further generations of violence, death and misery. At this difficult time, we have no choice but to increase our efforts to implement the road map and to strive for a peaceful settlement of the conflict.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824 (2003) · source
“In briefing the Security Council, and in our discussions with the parties, we have said that the path to a just and comprehensive peace settlement based on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 1397 (2002) would not be easy. We have stressed that peace is a long, hard and demanding process. But we have also said that that should not deter the parties or their partners in the international community. There is no alternative to pursuing this difficult and perilous path. We are now crossing dire and stormy straits. While the situation is grave, it is alarmist to speak of the demise of the peace process. But if we abandon the course of peace as drawn in the road map, we would accede to those individuals and groups that do not want peace.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824 (2003) · source
“There is a need for the parties to recommit to the road map process because there is no alternative to its explicit goals: the end of the occupation that started in 1967; the end of terrorism; and the establishment of a State of Palestine living side by side with the State of Israel in peace and security. But the lack of trust between the parties and their inability to take the difficult steps necessary to implement the road map illustrate the need for continued and possibly increased activity on the part of the international community to move the process along. We find ourselves at an extremely difficult juncture in the quest for peace in the Middle East.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824 (2003) · source
“The Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) issued a statement expressing his deep concern over the Israeli air raid and saying that UNIFIL would continue to monitor the situation closely. As we have stated in the past, a violation on one side does not justify a violation from the other side. Those events illustrate clearly the escalatory potential and the dangers involved. We call again upon the Governments of Lebanon and Israel, therefore, to live up to their responsibilities, to exercise restraint and to refrain from all such violations of the Blue Line in order to avoid a deterioration of the situation on the ground.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824 (2003) · source
“People are separated from farms, schools and livelihoods and are having their lands confiscated. Despite the calls from all the members of the Quartet, the Government of Israel persists in building that structure. It makes the establishment of a viable Palestinian State more difficult and the hope of peace more distant, and it undermines any Palestinian prime minister's efforts to muster popular support. I turn now to the situation along the Blue Line. Since the last briefing to the Security Council, the situation has remained tense. On 3 September, Israeli jets violated Lebanese airspace. Shrapnel from ensuing Hizbullah anti-aircraft fire ignited agricultural land close to populated areas on the Israeli side of the Blue Line. Shortly afterwards, Israeli jets dropped two bombs on a Hizbullah position close to a village.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824 (2003) · source
“If that happens, the result would be the suspension of budgetary support to the Palestinian Authority. That could mean that up to 120,000 civil servants, each of whom supports an extended family of about eight persons and whose spending power is sustaining the economy, would no longer be paid. In the face of declining donor assistance, Israel would be responsible for meeting the basic needs of the civilian population. We remain concerned by the continued construction of the West Bank security fence or separation wall. Of course, Israel has every right to set up security structures on its own territory, but it is not by any standard acceptable to put up a separation wall on another people's land. Its construction proceeds apace, and large parts of the occupied Palestinian territory are physically divided from other parts.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824 (2003) · source
“The objective has been both to prevent the economy from collapsing under the weight of closures and movement restrictions and to keep alive the hope of reconciliation and peace. Should the present situation result in the Palestinian Authority being unable to function politically, a critical question is whether the donors would be willing to continue that level of support. Much depends on the effectiveness of a new Palestinian Authority Government and especially on Minister of Finance Salam Fayyad, in whom donors have great confidence because of his efforts to promote financial accountability and transparency. If political developments result in the suspension or even the disestablishment of the Palestinian Authority, it might make it impossible to continue that work.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824 (2003) · source
“Bold steps related to settlements and security and involving increased activity from the international community might be necessary in order to improve the environment and assist in jump-starting a resumption of the process. In each briefing to the Security Council, the Secretariat has provided an update on the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory. We are again compelled to report a continued deterioration in the living conditions of the people of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Due to the continually volatile security situation, the ongoing Israeli regime of closures and movement restrictions continues to devastate the Palestinian economy and impoverish the Palestinian people. Currently, donors are providing upwards of $1 billion per annum in the form of budgetary and emergency support to the Palestinians.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824 (2003) · source
“The Quartet principals - the United Nations Secretary-General, Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov, United States Secretary of State Powell and, for the European Union, High Representative Solana - have agreed to meet later this month here in New York to address all relevant issues. That meeting will be significant because of the critical situation in the region. The Quartet will review the implementation of the road map and attempt to devise ways of putting the process back on track. I wish to note that the road map contains provisions for the acceleration or the slowing down of the process. Given the current situation, it might be appropriate to speed up the road map process.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824 (2003) · source
“It is clear that without significant Israeli concessions, related particularly to settlements and the separation wall, neither the peace process nor any peace-minded Palestinian leader will be credible in the eyes of the Palestinian people. Without a credible Palestinian leader, it will be difficult for the Palestinian Authority to take the necessary steps of consolidating security forces, disarming militant groups and establishing law and order. Determined international engagement is now urgently required. The Quartet is the pre-eminent diplomatic mechanism for Middle East peacemaking, and its continued active involvement is indispensable.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824 (2003) · source
“The rapid appointment and confirmation of a credible and fully empowered Palestinian prime minister is an essential step to address the current dangerous situation. That prime minister should focus on establishing law and order and ending terror and Violence by disarming militant groups. He must express full commitment to a policy of non-violence and to the road map. The Quartet and key regional partners - Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and others - can do much to help a new prime minister succeed and mobilize the necessary popular support. In doing so, the international community must address the central issues animating this conflict: occupation and terrorism.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824 (2003) · source
“Finally, the situation required the appointment of an empowered and credible Palestinian prime minister, to be a partner for peace and to whom consolidated security services would report. Despite the recent setbacks, we still have the international mechanism, the Quartet - composed of the European Union, the Russian Federation, the United Nations and the United States - which needs to redouble its efforts. The Quartet's envoys have met frequently to address the current crisis, the latest meeting being in Geneva two days ago. We still have the plan: the road map. However, there is for the moment no Palestinian prime minister for the Quartet and the Israelis to work with. An honourable and peace-minded prime minister has resigned and the new nominee has not yet, unfortunately, been able to take up the reins of power.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824 (2003) · source
“We must reassert the principle of parallelism by beginning to end both terrorism and occupation. In that way, control will be taken out of the hands of those who would use violence to prolong the conflict. Before the establishment of the Quartet and the release of the road map, the prerequisites for restarting a peace process were clear. The first was the creation of an international mechanism, a consensus-based coalition of States and institutions that would put an internationally supported peace plan on the table and guide the parties through a process. The second prerequisite was a plan that would set the end point of the process: the establishment of a Viable, independent Palestinian State, comprehensive regional peace and security for Israel.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824 (2003) · source
“In such an environment, it would not be possible for the Palestinian Authority to move forward with political and security measures to counter terrorism and terrorist groups. The principle of parallelism, reciprocal steps taken by both parties in all fields, is a core concept of the road map. The weakness of the past four months of half-hearted implementation by both sides is that parallelism was not emphasized. As a result, a single but essential issue - security of the Israelis from terrorism - became the sole focus of road map implementation. The ineffective way in which the issue was addressed contributed significantly to stalling the peace process. That single focus has allowed Violent groups to set the pace and the agenda for the process.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824 (2003) · source
“But the very limited approach to implementing the road map never effectively tackled either issue. Not only must progress be made on each, but progress must be seen to be occurring by Israelis and Palestinians alike in order to develop and maintain public support for the peace process. Real action must therefore be taken to end terrorism and to end occupation. Without popular support no Palestinian Prime Minister can, at this stage, counter terrorism and terrorist organizations in an effective manner. That essential public support could best be achieved under the current circumstances through the abandonment of settlements. The continued expansion of settlement activities produces the opposite effect.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824 (2003) · source
“The unilateral ceasefire declared by Palestinian militant groups was a useful step, but other steps such as the consolidation of security forces and security reforms could have been taken. For Palestinians, the core concern is an assurance that the peace process will lead to the end of the occupation and the establishment of a viable, independent Palestinian State on the basis of the 1967 borders. The ongoing settlement activity and continued construction of the separation wall cause Palestinians to wonder whether we are moving in a direction opposite to that goal. In addition, Israel has never fully endorsed the road map. Thus, the two key issues in the peace process are terrorism and occupation. Virtually all relevant actors have agreed that both need to end in order to achieve a just and lasting settlement. The road map addresses both.”
2003-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4824 (2003) · source