Annan "gratified" by progress at Middle East talks in Paris; in New York, Security Council speakers decry violence against Palestinians
4 October -- Following a series of high-level meetings in Paris on the latest crisis in the Middle East, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said he was gratified at the progress made and that the discussions would continue in Egypt.
"[The Secretary-General] is ready to do whatever he can to facilitate the implementation of any agreement which may be reached by the parties," a UN spokesman said in a statement which was released after French President Jacque Chirac invited Mr. Annan to join him in late-evening consultations with United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat.
During the meeting, the parties examined the steps needed to break the cycle of violence and resume the negotiations for a just and comprehensive settlement in the Middle East, the spokesman said. He added that the Secretary-General would continue to stay in close contact with the parties and other key players.
Meanwhile in New York, the Security Council continued today its open discussion of the latest crisis in the Middle East, hearing from over a dozen speakers.
A number of those addressing the Council today expressed outrage over what they termed Israel's use of excessive force and charged that Israel's actions in recent days violated international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. Israel was also condemned for the death toll among children, with several participants pointing in particular to the heart-rending and tragic killing of the 12-year old Palestinian boy who died in his father's arms.
Speakers called for an international investigation into these events, and urged the Security Council to formally compel Israel to halt its actions and be held to account for violations of international humanitarian law.
The Chairman of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Ibra Deguene Ka, joined those calling on both parties to refrain from further escalation of violence and to defuse the tension. He also joined with the large part of the international community which was calling on the Israeli Government, political parties and security forces to desist from taking further measures to undermine the peace process; to ensure respect for the holy places; to guarantee the protection of Palestinians and their property in the occupied territories; to end all illegal settlement activities; and to proceed rapidly towards the implementation of agreements already reached. Only rapid and consistent progress in the peace process leading to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East would prevent the current situation from deteriorating further.
Over 30 speakers have taken part in the Council's present debate on the situation in the Middle East, which began yesterday and is expected to resume tomorrow at 3 p.m.
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