This morning, we heard the statement by the Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs of Israel. Needless to say, his statement was, from our point of view, full of historical and political fallacies, especially as regards Al-Quds, the Palestinian refugees and the peace process in the Middle East. However…
I am pleased and honoured to participate today as the representative of Palestine and of the Palestinian people on this great occasion of special importance for us, the Palestinians.
The end of the second millennium and the beginning of the third millennium, which we celebrate today, is marked by t…
We would like, at the outset, to express our thanks to the member States of the European Union that have co-sponsored the resolution entitled “Assistance to the Palestinian people”, as well as to the Member States of the United Nations that joined the consensus on the resolution.
We regret the stat…
I wish to convey our sincere thanks to all the Member States that supported the resolutions just adopted under the agenda items “Question of Palestine” and “The situation in the Middle East”. In particular, I wish to express our thanks to the Chairman and members of the Committee on the Exercise of …
There is agreement in the international community that the question of Palestine, with its strong and direct repercussions, is the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East as a whole. However, the situation in the Middle East has other important aspects that are also the subject of much …
I am pleased to take the floor and to congratulate you, Sir, on your election to preside over the General Assembly. Your election is a tribute to the struggle of the friendly people of Namibia, and its leadership in achieving liberation and independence. We wish Namibia success in its endeavours to …
At the outset and on behalf of my delegation, I would like to express my gratitude to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his report in document A/54/134.
My thanks also go to Mr. Chinmaya Gharekhan, who worked as the United Nations Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories over the la…
Our request might seem unusual in the context of the normal procedure in the Assembly, by which a certain delegation may not make a complete political statement in explanation of vote. However, I want to say briefly how delighted we are that the draft resolution has been adopted by consensus. I just…
The Palestinian city of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, is on the threshold of its millennium commemoration, Bethlehem 2000. The forthcoming worldwide celebration of this epic turning point in time is an occasion imbued with profound historical, religious, spiritual and…
Mr. President, it gives me great pleasure to see you presiding over this new session of the General Assembly after your long struggle to gain freedom, along with Sam Nujoma, Nelson Mandela and others who fought to bring an end to the era of colonialism, apartheid and foreign occupation.
Your presen…
We meet here in the United Nations on Human Rights Day to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This fundamental document holds great importance for human beings all over the world. The commemoration of its fiftieth anniversary has a special meaning that …
We were hoping to make a short statement earlier, to express appreciation following the adoption by consensus of resolution 53/96, entitled “Status of the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and relating to the protection of victims of armed conflict”. We would like to refer to op…
Suffice it for me to refer here to the fact that the representative of Israel was just now unable to use the proper designation for my position, which is the Permanent Observer of Palestine, not the Palestinian Observer. The representative of Israel cannot even use the correct United Nations termino…
Yesterday, under this item, “Question of Palestine”, we heard a statement that was not appropriate for the United Nations and the General Assembly. That statement tried to falsify history. It included many contradictions and torpedoed the basis for mutual recognition between the Palestinian and the …
The situation in the Middle East continues to pose a threat to international peace and security. The Arab-Israeli conflict, of which the question of Palestine is the core, remains without a final solution, although some aspects of the conflict have been resolved. Here we emphasize that the failure t…
I would like, at the outset of my statement, to extend our congratulations to the President on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly. We are confident that he will conduct the deliberations of this session with wisdom, and we trust in his ability to achieve the objectives of the Uni…
Item 59 of the agenda, “Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and related matters”, is an important item that is relevant to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. The reform and expansion of the Security Council should indeed be a…
There is no need for me to point out that the statement we have just heard runs counter to the general trend that prevailed here today. We remain convinced, however, that the best option is not to spoil the general and valuable consensus that prevailed at this meeting and that led to the adoption by…
On behalf of my delegation, I am taking the floor to address a new and important item on the agenda of the fifty-third session of the Assembly, namely item 157, entitled “Bethlehem 2000”.
Bethlehem is one of the most historic and religiously significant sites on earth. In the year 2000, the past an…
Allow me, at the outset, to express on behalf of my delegation my most extreme thanks and appreciation to Secretary-General Kofi Annan for the presentation of his report in document A/53/153. We also wish to express our appreciation to the United Nations Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territori…
