Relieved at Middle East summit outcome, Annan says "we must move forward"
17 October -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan today expressed relief at the results of the just-concluded Middle East summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, and urged all concerned to help foster calm so that peace talks could resume.
In a statement issued at the conference site, Mr. Annan said he was "relieved and thankful" that Israeli and Palestinian leaders had "stepped back from the abyss and renewed their commitment to resolve their differences by peaceful means."
But while noting that silencing the guns was "a real achievement," the Secretary-General warned that "language can be violence too" and appealed to the leadership on both sides, to all Israelis and Palestinians and to the wider international community to weigh their words carefully. "For words can inflame or soothe, and everyone needs a restoration of calm and quiet so as to create the best possible atmosphere for a resumption of peace talks," he said.
The Sharm El-Sheikh summit, which was sponsored by United States President Bill Clinton and hosted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, produced agreement on security cooperation, on renewing the peace process and on a committee of fact-finding to inquire into recent tragic events and consider how to prevent their recurrence.
Mr. Annan, who attended yesterday's plenary session and met with all of the principals, said the process had not been easy, with feelings running high on both sides amid deep mutual mistrust. "There are wounds in the families and communities concerned that may take a generation to heal," he said. "But we must move forward, painful though it is, so that the children and youth of today -- angry and frustrated as they are -- can have a better world to live in."
Drawing lessons from the past few days, the Secretary-General said that clearly, there could be no lasting security without lasting peace. "That is why we need to look beyond the violence and bitterness, the pain and the hurt, beyond even the outcome of today's summit, to a future in which Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in a just and lasting peace."
Earlier in the day, those involved in the talks had held a final meeting in the plenary hall. Following opening remarks by President Mubarak, President Clinton then laid out the broad outlines of the agreement, and thanked each of the principals for their role in achieving it. Of the Secretary-General, he said, " I want to thank Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who has been here now in the region for more than a week and who has worked tirelessly to bring an end to violence and to make this meeting possible."
Prior to the plenary meeting, Mr. Annan was briefed by President Clinton on the outcome of last night's meetings, which had gone to the early hours of the morning.
Afterwards, the Secretary-General met a number of times with the principal players, including President Mubarak, King Abdullah of Jordan, the European Union's envoy to the talks, Javier Solana, the President of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Just prior to the plenary meeting, Mr. Annan then held a final meeting with President Clinton, President Mubarak and Prime Minister Barak.
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