This is a period of profound turbulence and pain in the Arab world.
There is enormous suffering and bloodshed in Palestine. There is
upheaval in Iraq. There is the frustration of disappointed
aspirations, and a palpable yearning for progress, especially among
young people. These currents and wounds, powerful and interrelated,
create formidable challenges for you, the region's leaders.
A Terrible Escalation of Killing and Injury
In Palestine, Israel has continued extrajudicial killings, the use
of disproportionate force in densely populated areas, wide-scale
house demolitions, construction of a West Bank barrier and other
activities. In the last couple of weeks, we have witnessed a
terrible escalation of killing and injury that has reached
absolutely unacceptable levels. Apart from the manifest
contraventions of international law, such actions hinder the search
for peace and deepen the bitterness that prevails among
Palestinians and the indignation felt in the international
community. We condemn those acts, and call on Israel to refrain
from further violations of international law and to meet its
obligations under the Road Map, especially halting settlement
activities and ending the use of violence.
For their part, some Palestinian groups continue to carry out
suicide bombings and other attacks that fuel hatred and fear, and
set back their national aspirations. We should all strongly condemn
terrorism, wherever and whenever it occurs; no cause can justify
it. We call on the Palestinian Authority to meet its obligations
under the Road Map, and take effective measures on the ground to
curb violence and combat terror.
Gaza Withdrawal Intention Creates New Possibilities
In this dark landscape, Israel's proclaimed intention to withdraw
from the Gaza Strip could offer a possibility of putting an end to
violence. Withdrawal from Gaza might even be used as a bridge back
toward resuming a meaningful peace process - if it is complete, if
it is done in consultation with the Palestinian Authority, and if
it is carried out as part of the Quartet's Road Map. It must also
lead clearly to an end of the occupation.
Despite the brutal events of the last two weeks, I urge all
governments to remain focused on the need for a comprehensive
negotiated settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict, including on
the Syrian and Lebanese tracks. Over the last three years, ordinary
people on both sides have lost faith in the other party's desire
for peace. I appeal to all concerned, especially the leadership, to
make a real effort to think what actions can convince ordinary
people on the other side of its genuine desire for peace. If each
side sees evidence only of the other's ill will, the future will
hold only more of the same destructive carnage and stalemate. The
current killing and suffering is simply too great to be endured.
There has to be a better way. Enough is enough.
UNRWA and the Palestinian Humanitarian Plight
The dire humanitarian plight of the Palestinians, particularly
those made homeless in Rafah in the past weeks, compels me to make
a special plea on behalf of the United Nations Relief and Works
Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. UNRWA is a
veritable lifeline for millions of Palestinians. At a time when
emergency needs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are rising,
and when the Palestinians' coping mechanisms are stretched to the
limit, it would be tragic, and destabilizing, if UNRWA were unable
to rebuild destroyed homes in Gaza or were forced to reduce food
aid, discharge thousands of workers, or discontinue psychological
and trauma counselling for children. I appeal to you to give, and
give generously, to meet emergency needs identified by UNRWA, and I
call on Israel to facilitate UNRWA's humanitarian mission,
including by ensuring access to people in need.
Helping Iraq Regain Sovereignty, Unity and
Independence
The United Nations will also work with you to help Iraq through its
difficult period of transition. Traumatized by three wars,
dictatorship and more than a decade of sanctions, Iraq's people are
beset by violence, uncertainty and abuses, and are caught between
an occupying power and an insurgency that does not spare its fellow
citizens. Whatever our view of the war and its wider implications,
we must be united now in helping Iraq through this latest
ordeal.
Toward that end, my special envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, talked with
Iraqis of all political persuasions on a path and a framework that
would enable Iraq to regain its full sovereignty, unity and
independence. Iraqis must resume control of their destiny as soon
as possible: with a political system of their choosing; with
control over their natural resources; and with mechanisms to build
a state based on the rule of law and human rights for all the
country's people. Your active support will be crucial during this
transition period: today, as efforts continue to put a caretaker
government in place, and tomorrow, as Iraq moves toward elections
and long-term constitutional and political arrangements. The region
has a role to play, and must play it. Each of us shares an interest
in a free, stable, united and democratic Iraq at peace with itself
and with its neighbors, an Iraq that can once again take its proper
place in the region and in the international community. That, and
nothing else, must be our agenda, and the United Nations is
striving to do its part, as circumstances permit.
Importance of Human Rights in the Region
The atmosphere in Iraq and Palestine creates a ruinous climate for
the entire region. I am happy that such a climate has not hindered
you from addressing the wider agenda of change in the region.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the members
of the Arab League on your important progress in revising the Arab
Charter of Human Rights. I am encouraged by your plans to adopt the
revised charter, and hope the final version will be fully in
accordance with international human rights standards. The United
Nations will continue to follow the efforts of the League in
developing a regional human rights mechanism with great interest,
and we remain committed to supporting and assisting you in that
crucial endeavor.
Any process of reform, anywhere in the world, must be homegrown,
coming from within. The Arab world is no exception. There is
nothing the outside world can tell you about freedom, women's
emancipation or the knowledge gap that your own people are not
already telling you. It is not remote outsiders who have been
working on the landmark series of Arab Human Development Reports,
published by the UN Development Program. It is Arabs themselves -
leading intellectuals, sociologists and others. Thinking only of
their own people's well-being, and seeking only to assess,
honestly, their societies' development, they are offering a
prescription for progress. With those recommendations striking a
chord throughout the region, it is a source of real encouragement
that many of you are strongly supporting them. The United Nations
remains strongly committed to working with you as you continue your
quest for development, justice and peace. Above all else,
leadership can make a difference between hope and despair, and
between renewal and the status quo.