25 March 2008
Ambassador Khalilzad’s Statement on U.S. Efforts in Middle East
Addresses U.N. Security Council on developments in the region
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USUN PRESS RELEASE
March 25, 2008
(As Delivered)
Statement by Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. Permanent Representative, on the situation in the Middle East, in the Security Council, March 25, 2008
Thank you very much Mr. President,
Allow me to join my colleagues by thanking the Secretary-General for addressing the Council earlier and thanking Under-Secretary-General Pascoe for his update.
The United States continues to work to support progress towards an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement before the end of 2008. Vice President Cheney and Secretary Rice each visited the region earlier this month to encourage progress in negotiations and on the ground. Secretary Rice will return to the region later this week to continue her discussions with the parties.
When we last met, we were rightly concerned about the escalation of violence in southern Israel and Gaza, caused by an increase in terrorist rocket attacks by Hamas that led to an Israeli military response in self-defense. Subsequently, on March 6, a terrorist gunman opened fire at a Jewish religious school in Jerusalem, killing eight young Israeli students and wounding eleven others, which the United States and many other governments rightly condemned as a vicious targeting of innocent civilians. As we recall these events, let me make clear, Mr. President, that the United States deeply deplores the death of all innocent civilians. In the wake of this tragedy, which Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas unequivocally condemned, we supported the Government of Israel’s courageous decision reaffirming its commitment to negotiations. Israeli and Palestinian leaders continue to meet to work towards the shared goal of a permanent status agreement. Constructive regional and international support that enjoys the support of the parties for their efforts remains crucial.
With that in mind, I'd like to make two additional points. The first is the need to achieve progress on the ground in order to create an atmosphere supportive of the negotiating process and to reassure the Israelis and Palestinians alike of the seriousness of this process. General Fraser, who leads the U.S. effort to monitor progress on Roadmap implementation, has just returned from the region, where he convened a trilateral meeting with the parties to assess progress and discuss next steps to fulfill the parties' commitments under the Roadmap. The General had a frank and positive exchange with the parties and is working with them to promote progress in this area. Secretary Rice will use her next round of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders later this week to further encourage progress.
The second is the critical importance of support from the international community to ensure that Palestinian humanitarian needs are being met and that nations are following through on their pledges from the Paris Donor Conference. These efforts will help President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad build the institutional capacity and develop the economy that will serve as the foundation for a Palestinian state. For our part, the United States continues to provide basic humanitarian assistance to Palestinians living in Gaza through ongoing USAID programs and annual contributions to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The United States is the largest bilateral donor to UNRWA. In FY 2007, we contributed over $154 million to UNRWA and we have, to date, pledged $148 million in 2008. Our contributions to UNRWA support its provision of basic and vocational education, primary health care, and relief and social services to over 4.4 million registered Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, as well as its provision of emergency food, health, jobs creation, and other relief services to Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza.
We are also moving forward with assistance programs utilizing the $545 million pledge for assistance to the Palestinian Authority that Secretary Rice announced in Paris last December. Most recently, on March 19, we signed a cash transfer agreement with Prime Minister Fayyad, providing $150 million in budgetary support to the Palestinian Authority. Much more is needed and we encourage Paris Conference participants to urgently provide the assistance they have pledged. We look forward to reviewing progress in this area at the upcoming meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee. We welcome Tony Blair's continuing leadership role in this area, including his involvement in planning the May 21-23 Bethlehem Private Sector Investment Conference. We also support Germany's proposed meeting later this spring to focus donor support on building the capacity of the Palestinian justice sector.
Turning to Lebanon, I would like to thank the Secretariat for the efforts underway to rapidly facilitate the work of the Special Tribunal. We look forward to the update on the Tribunal scheduled for Thursday. I urge all Council members to generously support the Tribunal as a clear signal that the international community backs the effort of the Lebanese people to end the era of impunity for political assassinations in their country.
Mr. President, I would like to underscore our deep concern about the illegal arms transfers across the Syrian-Lebanese border, and in particular claims by Hezbollah that it has replenished its military capacity since the 2006 war. We fully support the Secretary-General's call for a process to disarm all militias in Lebanon in accordance with resolutions 1559 and 1701 and the Ta'if Accords. In accordance with these resolutions, Hezbollah must disarm, and it must do so now.
Finally, I would like to reiterate our concern that it has not yet been possible for the Lebanese to hold a presidential election. Although the Lebanese agree on a candidate, Syria and its allies within Lebanon are using other preconditions to perpetuate the political stalemate. It should be clear, however, until a new president takes office, the United States has full confidence in, and fully supports, the legitimate Lebanese Government in managing the affairs of the state and the Lebanese Armed Forces in continuing to provide security.
Mr. President, allow me to conclude my statement by offering a brief comment on the format of this monthly meeting. Since 2002, it has been the practice of this Council to have regular briefings on the developments in the Middle East. Yet the polarization and divisions of the United Nations membership over the conflict all too often manifest themselves as heated political statements in both the General Assembly and the Security Council that do little to help advance the cause of peace or help the Palestinian people in any tangible way. It has long been the conviction of the United States that a solution will only be achieved by direct negotiations between the parties, facilitated and supported by constructive international engagement. That is why the bulk of our efforts are focused on making a difference on the ground. If these types of meetings do not contribute to that effort, or worse, if they fuel the tensions that impede constructive engagement, then we need to ask ourselves whether the public format of debates in New York truly helps create the environment necessary to facilitate the pursuit of the two-state solution. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to use these meetings to promote the cause of peace and the pursuit of the two-state solution.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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