Statement by Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon, Permanent Representative of Pakistan, in the open debate of the Security Council on the Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question (14 October 2009)

Mr. President,

On behalf of the Pakistan delegation, I would like to congratulate you on skillful steering of the Council. We also wish to convey our gratitude for on convening this meeting.

  1. I would like to welcome Dr. Maliki here. It is pleasure to have him here with us and I would like to thank, in absentia, Mr. Lynn Pascoe for starting the session this morning.
  2. It would not be unjust to say that we associate ourselves with statements made by the distinguished representatives of Egypt and Syria on behalf of the Non-Alignment Movement and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, respectively.
  3. It is indeed a long-held common objective of the International Community to find a comprehensive peace in the Middle East and a just, lasting and peaceful settlement of the core issue of Palestine. This objective is reflected in a number of Security Council resolutions. We note with remorse and trepidation that despite overwhelming consensus, peace in the region remains elusive and the cycle of injustice, violence and instability continues to frustrate our collective efforts to find an honourable solution of a problem as old as the United Nations itself.
  4. The consequences of our collective failure will be disastrous for the region and beyond. What compounds the pessimism is continuing grave situation on the ground in terms of humanitarian plight of the Palestinian people, the provocative measures of Israeli Government and lack of a viable political process to reverse these trends.

Mr. President,

  1. We would express our serious concerns at worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank, where the people confront threats to their lives, liberty and livelihoods. Closure of Gaza’s borders to free flow of people and commerce is strangulating local economy, public services and human security.
  2. Amidst this human tragedy, we regret to note that Israeli Government carries out actions that compound the plight of Palestinian people and make a political settlement all the more difficult. When I spoke here last year, I reminded the people of Israel of their background, their culture and their enormous belief on the right path and I reiterate what I had stated last time.
  3. We have noted the magnificent “Goldstone Report”. It deserves to be commended. It deserves to be read in complete understanding and without reservation because it speaks in a very strong and truthful voice. If this house will not recognize the great work put together by its own Rapporteurs, well then let me say not much of that report is unknown to us. We have spent months deliberating on this issue in Committee and in this Council Chamber but all I can say is that we do not seem to somehow the eyes to read, the ears to hear and the lips to speak from. While we condemn what is happening we must also be more progressive, try and move beyond this phase.

Mr. President,

  1. We firmly believe that peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved until the international community reengages itself with the issue. We can outline four parameters of this reengagement:

    First, the Security Council, especially the P-5, must show the political will to achieve real progress for peace and security in the Middle East. It is important that the Council seeks firm commitments from relevant parties to re-launch negotiations aiming at ‘Two-State Solution’. To start afresh, we do not necessarily need to “reinvent the wheel”. The framework for peace is already determined in the relevant resolutions of the Security Council as well as the Madrid terms of reference, the road map, the Arab Peace Initiative and the understandings reached in Annapolis in 2007.

    Secondly, the Middle East Quartet must utilize the full potential of its statement of 24 September 2009 and support of the peace process through a transparent and objective engagement.

    Thirdly, there is a pressing urgency to address the humanitarian plight in the Palestinian territories and to rebuild the Palestinian institutions battered by conflict and violence. Likewise, we must support the efforts to achieve intra-Palestinian reconciliation, which is an essential pre-requisite for credible and comprehensive peace. We urge our Palestinian brothers to put aside their differences and pool all their energies in the pursuit of peace.

    And lastly, to achieve a lasting settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict, it is imperative to address its root cause, i.e. the Israeli occupation of the Arab territories. The solution, therefore, requires Israel's complete withdrawal from the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and all other occupied Arab territories, including the Syrian Golan. Israel should also immediately cease all settlement activities. Also crucial to this equation would be parallel progress on the Syria-Israel and Lebanon-Israel tracks in order to achieve comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

It is our sincere belief that a sustained engagement by the International Community and the Security Council on four parameters outlined above will lead to a coveted political settlement that we have long hoped and dreamed for.

IThank you Mr. President.