Ain-Al-Yaqeen - December 15, 2006

		December 15, 2006

THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA VOICES SUPPORT TO THE PRINCIPLE OF FAIR GEOGRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION AT THE UNSC.
KOFI ANNAN AT THE END OF HIS TENURE WARNS OF A MORE COMPLEX, MORE FRAGILE AND MORE DANGEROUS SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
THE MOST IMPORTANT POINTS IN THE LATEST INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION REPORT CONCERNING THE POLITICAL ASSASSINATIONS IN LEBANON.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has voiced support to the principle of fair geographical representation at the UN's Security Council, either for its permanent or non-permanent membership.

It noted that the development of the statutes of the Security Council should aim at enhancing the capability of the council and enabling it to effectively shoulder its responsibilities in line with the UN's convention.

The remarks of the kingdom came at the speech delivered by Prince Mishal Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister Plenipotentiary at the foreign ministry, before the UN's General Assembly.

Prince Mishal underscored the importance of enabling the UN's Security Council to deal with the international political and security issues in a manner that realizes the global peace and security.

Prince Mishal said discussion of the issue of the fair representation at the Security Council reflects the credibility of the un in the light of the changes, challenges and threats facing the contemporary world.

Prince Mishal reiterated the support of the kingdom to comprehensive reforms for the statute of the security council so as to enable it effectively carry out the resolutions that aim at enhancing the pillars of the global peace, and protection of the mankind from woes of wars and violation of human rights .

He expressed disappointment for the failure to effectively carry out resolutions pertaining to peace and security in the Middle East.

He noted that due to such failure, Israel has remained occupying the Arab and Palestinian territories, and continued to abort any international effort that aims at bringing about peace in the Middle East.

He pointed out to the Israeli aggressions against Lebanon and the Palestinian territories in violation to the international conventions and norms.

Prince Mishal confirmed the adherence of the Arabs to the peace option, and said in 2002 the Arab summit, held in Beirut, approved the initiative presented by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz which called for a comprehensive and just peace in the middle east in line with the resolutions 242 and 338, earlier adopted by the Security Council.

On the other hand, warning that tensions in the Middle East are near their breaking point, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for a "new and urgent push for peace" from all sides, including the international community, lest the people of the region be consigned to new depths of suffering and grief.

In his last briefing to the Security Council on the region, Mr. Annan said the Middle East was in "profound crisis," and the situation is now more complex, more fragile and more dangerous than it has been for a very long time with mistrust between Israelis and Palestinians reaching "new heights."

The Security Council met to consider the situation in the Middle East, for which it had before it the latest report of the Secretary-General, dated 11 December.

Reporting to the Council on that situation, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that, as he had told members in September, the Arab-Israeli conflict was not just one regional conflict among many. No other conflict carried such a powerful symbolic and emotional charge even for people far away.

Yet, while the quest for peace had registered some important achievements over the years, a final settlement had defied the best efforts of several generations of world leaders, he said, adding that he, too, would leave office without an end to the prolonged agony.

He said that the Middle East today faced grim prospects. The region was in profound crisis. The situation was more complex, more fragile and more dangerous than it had been for a very long time. It was with that in mind that he had taken the initiative of preparing the report that was now in the Council's hands. His aim was "to get us out of the preset morass, and back to a viable peace process that will respond to the region's yearning for peace".

Mistrust between Israelis and Palestinians had reached new heights, he said. The Gaza Strip had become a "cauldron of deepening poverty and frustration", despite the withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlements last year. In the West Bank, too, the situation was dire. Settlement activity and construction of the barrier continued. Israeli obstacles impeded Palestinian movement throughout the area. The Palestinian Authority, paralyzed by a debilitating political and financial crisis, was no longer able to provide security or basic services

In Lebanon, the country's political transformation was complete, and its leaders faced a campaign of intimidation and destabilization, he said. As last summer's fighting between Israel and Hezbollah had shown, Lebanon remained hostage to its own difficult history and captive to forces, from within and from beyond its borders, that wished to exploit its vulnerability.

He said that casting a glance to other parts of the region, one saw the Syrian Golan Heights still under Israeli control and concerns about Syria's relations with militant groups beyond its own borders. Iraq was mired in unrelenting violence. Iran's nuclear activities and possible ambitions had emerged as a source of deep concern to many in the region, and beyond it as well. All of that fed, and was fed by, an alarming rise in extremism.

Each of those conflicts had their own dynamics and causes, he stated. Each would require its own specific solution and its own process to produce a solution that would endure. And, in each case, it was the parties involved who bore the primary responsibility for peace. No one could make peace for them, impose peace on them, or want peace more than they did.

At the same time, he said, the international community could not escape its responsibility to use its influence. The various conflicts and crises in the region had become ever more intertwined. Though deeply separate and distinct, the various arenas affected and shaped each other, making conflict resolution and crisis management much more difficult. The international community must develop a new understanding of the uncertainty engulfing the Middle East, and then shoulder its full responsibility in resolving it and stabilizing the region.

He, therefore, offered a few thoughts on what the parties themselves and outsiders, from the Quartet to the Security Council and other bodies, might do differently in the search for peace -- in particular, peace between Israelis and Palestinians, which, while no panacea, would go a long way towards defusing tensions throughout the region.

One of the most frustrating aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the apparent inability of many people on both sides to understand the position of the other, and the unwillingness of some to even try, he said. As a true friend and supporter of both sides, he wished to address frank messages to each.

He said it was completely right and understandable that Israel and its supporters should seek to ensure its securityBut, they were not likely to succeed, unless they themselves clearly grasped and acknowledged the fundamental Palestinian grievance -- namely, that the establishment of the State of Israel had involved the dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian families, and had been followed 19 years later by a military occupation that brought hundreds of thousands more Palestinian Arabs under Israeli rule.

..Israel's democracy could thrive only if the occupation over another people ended. Israel had undergone a major cultural shift since the days of Oslo: all of Israel's major political parties now acknowledged that Israel needed to end the occupation, for its own sake and for the sake of its security.

Yet, he continued, hundreds of thousands of Israelis still lived in territories occupied since 1967 -- and more than 1,000 were added monthly. As Palestinians watched that activity, they also saw a barrier being built through their land in contravention of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, as well as more than 500 checkpoints to control their movement and the heavy presence of the Israel Defense Forces. Their despair at the occupation only grew, as did their determination to resist it. As a result, some tended to invest much of their trust in those who pursued the armed struggle rather than a peace process that did not seem to yield the coveted goal of an independent State

The Secretary General said we should all work for a negotiated end to the occupation, based on the principle of land-for-peace," he urged

The actions of some United Nations bodies might themselves be counterproductive, he said. The Human Rights Council, for example, had already held three special sessions focused on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Hopefully, that body would take care to handle the issue in an impartial way, and not allow it to monopolize attention at the expense of other situations where there were no less grave violations, or even worse...

He noted that some might feel satisfaction at repeatedly passing General Assembly resolutions or holding conferences that condemned Israel's behaviour. But, one should also ask whether such steps brought any tangible relief or benefit to the Palestinians. There had been decades of resolutions. There had been a proliferation of special committees, sessions and Secretariat divisions and units. Had any of those had an effect on Israel's policies, other than to strengthen the belief in Israel, and among many of its supporters, that this great Organization was too one-sided to be allowed a significant role in the Middle East peace process?..

He said that perhaps the greatest irony in that sad story was that there was no serious question about the broad outline of a final settlement. The parties themselves, at various times and through various diplomatic channels, had come to bridging almost all the gaps between them. There was every reason for the parties to try again, with principled, concerted help from the international community. A new and urgent push for peace was needed.

The road would be long, and much trust would have to be rebuilt along the way, he said. But, it should be remembered where that effort would lead. Two States, Israel and Palestine, within secure, recognized and negotiated boundaries, based on those of 4 June 1967; a broader peace encompassing Israel's own neighbours, namely Lebanon and Syria; normal diplomatic and economic relations; arrangements that would allow both Israel and Palestine to establish their internationally recognized capitals in Jerusalem, and to ensure access for people of all faiths to their holy places; and a solution that respected the rights of Palestinian refugees and was consistent with the two-State solution and the character of States in the region.

He said that reaching that destination was not as impossible as some might imagine. Most Israelis genuinely believed in peace with the Palestinians... Most Palestinians did not seek the destruction of Israel, only the end of occupation and the establishment of their own State -- perhaps in a slightly larger territory than Israelis would wish to concede, but a limited territory, nevertheless...

He said that the "Road Map", endorsed by the Council in its resolution 1515 (2003), was still the reference point around which any effort to reenergize a political effort should be centred. Its sponsor, the Quartet, retained its validity because of its singular combination of legitimacy, political strength and financial and economic clout. But, the Quartet should do more to restore faith, not only in its own seriousness and effectiveness, but also in the Road Map's practicability, and to create the conditions for resuming a viable peace process. It needed to find a way to institutionalize its consultations with the relevant regional partners. It needed to engage the parties directly in its deliberations. The time had come for the Quartet to be clearer at the outset on the parameters of an end-game deal, and it would have to be open to new ideas and initiatives.

Tensions in the region were "near the breaking point", he saidThe period ahead could well prove crucial, he added. Every day brought defeats in the struggle for peace, and reasons to give up. "But we must not succumb to frustration," he said. The principles on which peace must be based were known to all. Even the contours of what a solution would look like on the ground were well mapped out. He believed it was possible to break the current stalemate and make new strides towards peace.

He said that the United Nations and the Middle East were closely intertwined. The region had shaped that Organization like no other. The situation, the people, the thirst for peace, were all very close to his heart. "I know they are close to yours as well," he said, adding that, as a matter of urgency, "let us match that concern with concerted action".

Meanwhile the Security Council said that efforts to bring peace to the Middle East must be intensified, emergency assistance should be provided to Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories and the goal of Israel and Palestine "living side-by-side in peace and security," should be upheld.

The 15-member body issued its remarks in a presidential statement after hearing Secretary-General Kofi Annan's last briefing to them on the Middle East in which he called for a "new and urgent push for peace" and warned that "tensions in the region are near the breaking point."

"The Security Council expresses its deep concern over the situation in the Middle East, with its serious ramifications for peace and security, and underlines the need to intensify efforts to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region," said Sheik Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr al-Thani, First Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar, which holds this month's rotating Council presidency.

Expressing "grave concern" over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the occupied Territories, the Council also urged that emergency assistance be channelled through the temporary mechanism devised by the European Union (EU) and the World Bank to provide aid directly to the Palestinian people by bypassing the Hamas-led Government, which is committed to Israel's destruction.

"The Security Council calls for the provision of emergency assistance to the Palestinian people through the Temporary International Mechanism, international organizations and other official channels"

" [The Council] reaffirms its profound attachment to the vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security, as envisaged in the Road Map encourages the parties to engage in direct negotiations [and] reaffirms the vital role of the Quartet and looks forward to its continued active engagement."

The diplomatic Quartet the UN, the United States, Russian Federation and the EU sponsored the Road Map plan, which prescribes a two-State solution, and this formula was endorsed by the Council in resolution 1515. In his remarks, Mr. Annan said the Road Map should still be the "reference point," although the Quartet should also be "open to new ideas and initiatives."

The Council also stressed that all parties must respect their obligations under previous agreements, "including by putting an end to violence and all aspects of terrorism" and, while encouraging international involvement, it said this "cannot be a substitute for determined measures by the parties themselves."

Along with Mr. Annan and the Council President, representatives from eight countries spoke during the debate.

Reporting to the Security Council that tensions in the Middle East were "near the breaking point", Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that a final settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict had defied the best efforts of several generations of world leaders, and he also would leave office without an end to the prolonged agony.

Opening the debate, which culminated in the adoption of a presidential statement (document S/PRST/2006/51) reaffirming the Council's profound attachment to the vision of two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, the Secretary-General said that, with prospects in the Middle East grim, the opportunity for negotiating a two-State solution would last for only so long.

"Should we fail to seize it, the people who most directly bear the brunt of this calamity will be consigned to new depths of suffering and grief. Other conflicts and problems will become that much harder to resolve, and extremists the world over would enjoy a boost to their recruiting efforts," he said.

The First Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheik Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani, whose delegation holds the Council presidency for the month, said: "We have more international resolutions, projects, plans and positions than we can possibly use." What was lacking was political will to achieve them. The Arab-Israeli conflict could no longer be resolved through partial or half solutions, which had failed to bring about a permanent settlement. A coordinated, integrated and consistent approach was needed, which was comprehensive, open to participation by all parties and protected fundamental rights and humanitarian principles. It should stamp out violence and attend to the social and psychological aspects of the conflict. "We are all called upon to confront parties on both sides of the camp who refuse to work towards peace," he said.

Echoing the view that the elements of peace in the Middle East were clear, precise and already in place, Palestine's Permanent Observer to the United Nations said that the main problem remained, not only a lack of political will, but also a lack of tangible measures and practical mechanisms, essential for effective implementation of the resolutions and initiatives. He welcomed European efforts aimed at breaking the impasse through the introduction of practical measures, as well as the useful recommendations in the Baker-Hamilton report. Some Israeli leaders had also indicated a willingness to consider the Arab Peace Initiative as an appropriate platform for peace talks. He called for an international conference that sought to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli question, as that was at the heart of resolving all crises in the region, he said.

Following is the complete text of presidential statement S/PRST/2006/51:

"The Security Council expresses its deep concern over the situation in the Middle East, with its serious ramifications for peace and security, and underlines the need to intensify efforts to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region.

"The Security Council stresses that there can be no military solution to the problems of the region and that negotiation is the only viable way to bring peace and prosperity to peoples throughout the Middle East.

"The Security Council stresses that the parties must respect their obligations under previous agreements, including by putting an end to violence and all aspects of terrorism.

"The Security Council expresses grave concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation and calls for the provision of emergency assistance to the Palestinian people through the Temporary International Mechanism, international organizations and other official channels.

"The Security Council welcomes the agreement between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to establish a mutual ceasefire in Gaza.

"The Security Council welcomes the steps taken by both sides to maintain the ceasefire and expresses its hope that it will lead to a sustained period of calm. It calls on both sides, therefore, to avoid any actions that could jeopardize further progress. It reiterates its call for an end to all aspects of terrorism and violence, as set out in previous statements and resolutions.

"The Security Council is mindful of the need to encourage steps to increase confidence in the peace process.

"The Security Council reiterates its call for the Palestinian Authority Government to accept the three Quartet principles.

"The Security Council reaffirms its profound attachment to the vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, as envisaged in the Road Map.

"The Security Council underlines that action by the international community cannot be a substitute for determined measures by the parties themselves.

"The Security Council encourages the parties to engage in direct negotiations.

"The Security Council reaffirms the vital role of the Quartet and looks forward to its continued active engagement.

"The Security Council reiterates the importance of, and the need to achieve, a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on all its relevant resolutions, including resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 1515 (2003), the Madrid terms of reference and the principle of land for peace."

In New York working from a tooth and 33 tiny bits of burned flesh, UN investigators headed by Belgian Prosecutor Serge Brammertz, sketched out a rough portrait of the suicide bomber that might have conducted the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri.

The report, the sixth to look into the February 14, 2005 bombing said the enquiry panel would continue to request Syria's full cooperation, which remains crucial to the swift and successful completion of its work.

While the experts looking into Hariri's murder have not suggested who may have ordered the killing or set it up, it described the presumed bomber as a man in his early 20s who had spent two to three months in Lebanon prior to his death in the February 14, 2005 blast.

Working with evidence gathered at the murder site, the investigators said they believed he was standing next to, or was inside of, a Mitsubishi van containing a charge equivalent to around 1,800 kg of TNT.

The report also said that the charge consisted either of a mix of RDX and TNT, with a detonating cord. Investigators said they believed the truck bomb was set off at the site rather than from a remote location partly due to the presence on a few bits of the bomber's body of a plastic material that possibly comes from electric wires that would be associated with a triggering device.

It also added that the crown of an upper right central incisor tooth thought to have been in the bomber's mouth showed a distinguishing mark rarely seen among people from Lebanon, leading investigators to include he was born elsewhere.

Furthermore, an analysis of the ratios in elements found in different parts of the person's body showed that the man spent neither his youth nor the last 10 years or so of his life in Lebanon, but he was in Lebanon in the last two to three months before his death.

The report said the ratio between isotopes found in different parts of the body vary depending, among other things; on where an individual was living when a particular body part was formed.

The report also said that Syria has continued to provide 'satisfactory' help to the UN probe.

The latest UN report noted that it was of critical importance that the commission has access to those political actors with whom Hariri had direct contact in the last months of his life, and to those individuals involved in the relevant political dynamics in Lebanon, the broader region and internationally.

The panel said that since its previous report released last September 25 it had conducted seventeen interviews in connection with the alleged bombing team and their use of six telephones to communicate on the day of the attack and in the days leading up to it. These interviews have provided new leads that are currently being pursued and will lead to more interviews in the next reporting period.

The video of the nearby Phoenicia Hotel was also found. The report also said that the commission was pursuing its work on several scenarios to know what might have led to the assassination. Among those scenarios was that Hariri was the target of an extremist group that assassinated him because of his Arab and international relations, as well as Hariri's position of UN resolution 1559 and the extension of the mandate of President Emile Lahoud. Another scenario was Hariri's possible win of the May 2005 parliamentary elections and his hope to unveil the Al-Madina Bank scandal.