Attacks by peace foes must not block efforts to resume Middle East talks: Annan
2 November -- Reacting to the bomb attack earlier today in Jerusalem, Secretary-General Kofi Annan vigorously condemned acts of terror but stressed that the opponents of peace should not be allowed to block the quest for a negotiated settlement.
A spokesman for Mr. Annan said in a statement released in New York that the Secretary-General reiterated "in the strongest possible terms his condemnation of terrorism from whatever quarter and other violence affecting civilians." The Secretary-General strongly believed that "those who oppose peace by using such means should not deter the parties from making every effort to return to the negotiating table," the spokesman said.
The statement was issued following Mr. Annan's meeting at UN Headquarters earlier in the day with the Foreign Minister of Israel, Shlomo Ben-Ami. According to the UN spokesman, the two men reviewed the Middle East peace process and agreed on the need to secure the full implementation of the understandings reached at the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit held last month in Egypt.
"They also emphasized the need to restore calm and create the right atmosphere for the resumption of peace negotiations," spokesman Fred Eckhard told reporters, adding that the Foreign Minister and the Secretary-General had been encouraged by the recent agreement between former Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Chairman Yasser Arafat.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr. Ben-Ami described the encounter as "very good," and said his country viewed the Secretary-General as a "major friend" of the Middle East peace process. He added that Mr. Annan was "very creative, very resourceful, very helpful, and we will see him always as a valid interlocutor in order to encourage the parties to assume the road of peace."
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