In Egypt, Annan says failure is not an option for Middle East summit
16 October -- On the eve of the Middle East summit in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, Secretary-General Kofi Annan underscored that the implications of the current crisis were so grave that failure was not an option in the quest to contain the conflict.
"I don't think it's a choice," the Secretary-General said on Sunday when asked if the summit could afford to fail. "We don't have that option."
The Secretary-General, who met in Sharm-El-Sheikh on Sunday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, emphasized the broad dimensions of the crisis, which affected not only the region but also the world.
"This crisis is not limited to the Palestinian territories and Israel," he told a press conference. "We've seen demonstrations outside this region, in Indonesia, even in the United States." Pointing out that the crisis would affect global economic growth, he noted that oil prices had hit their highest level in ten years. "It is going to affect all countries, rich and poor," he said, adding, "We've all seen what is happening in stock markets around the world."
"And that is why I, as Secretary-General of the United Nations, have devoted so much time to trying to work with President Mubarak and President Clinton to get this conference going so that we can do whatever we can to bring the situation under control, to stop the killing."
Travelling throughout the region over the over the past week, the Secretary-General has witnessed first-hand the suffering that the crisis has wrought. Talking to Israelis and Palestinians, he said, "I've looked at the fear, the anxiety, the wariness in their eyes and they don't want this."
Summing up the current state of affairs, he said, "This situation is not good for Israel, it's not good for Palestine, it's not good for the region and it has to stop."
Prior to his meeting with Mr. Mubarak, the Secretary-General thanked the Egyptian President for hosting the summit and the United States President for sponsoring it. "I think they're doing the region and the world a great favour," he said. "And we will all work very hard to obtain our objective."
The Secretary-General underscored the seriousness of this endeavour, saying "we have a grave responsibility to do all we can to bring the violence to an end, to try and stabilize the situation and eventually get dialogue and the peace process going."
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