E Pahad: United Nations African meeting

9 May 2007

Honourable Mr Al Abed
Minister of Public Works and Housing
Palestinian Authority
Representatives of African governments
Representatives of the United Nations
African Union and other multilateral institutions
Your Excellencies and friends

On behalf of the Government of South Africa and President Thabo Mbeki please
allow me to welcome you to what we hope will be a fruitful dialogue that will
have a lasting impact on our collective search for a just and peaceful
resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict. We in South Africa are honoured to
be a part of this first United Nations Committee meeting in a developing
country since the formation of the Palestinian Unity Government.

The year 2007 marks the 40th Anniversary of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and in
the intervening years the conditions of the people of Palestine have
deteriorated and the search for peace in the Middle East still remains elusive.
The Middle East region is of geo-political and strategic importance based on
its influence on global peace and security as well as its critical
resources.

As an ardent proponent of global peace and stability, South Africa
recognises that peace in the Middle East will not be possible without finding a
just, comprehensive and lasting solution to this conflict.

South Africa's commitment to multilateralism and respect for the role of the
United Nations (UN) in furthering global peace and security stems from our
policy on the Middle East Peace Process, which is firmly based on all the
relevant UN Security Council resolutions, including UNSC resolutions 242, 338,
1397 and 1515, the Road Map as well as the Oslo frame of reference.

In concert with the UN positions and resolutions, emerging reports are that
the united Arab position is to push for the implementation of the 2002 Arab
Peace Initiative. As you know this plan is not a difficult one to implement, it
essentially calls for the return of all Palestinian land based on the 1967
borders and on the basis of a genuine attempt to establish a Palestinian state
living side by side and in peace with Israel.

South Africa urges Israel to seize this opportunity presented in the current
conjuncture to begin serious negotiations to normalise relations and therefore
create the conditions for a solution in the region as enunciated in the 2002
Arab Peace Initiative.

The position of our Government is very clear, and consistent with the
relevant UN resolutions and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, we urge the
international community to:
* give unconditional recognition to and engage in dialogue with the Palestinian
Unity Government
* lift all sanctions against the Palestinian government
* release the very substantial funds withheld from the Palestinian National
Authority
* recognise and take appropriate action to address the humanitarian crisis
facing the Palestinian people.

South Africa's policy on the Middle East Peace Process is informed by the
following principles:

* the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and
independence, which entails a principled position against the military
occupation of the Palestinian people and their land.
* a belief that there can be no military solution to the conflict and that
peaceful negotiation is the only means of ensuring lasting peace, security and
stability.
* a commitment to multilateralism in order to secure a sustainable
solution.
* taking our lead from the people of Palestine as they articulate both their
grievances and their demands and vision for the future.

South Africa believes that until a comprehensive, just and permanent
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is found, the Middle East region
will not be able to realise its full potential and will remain a key source of
instability and thus a threat to world peace and security.

Since 1994, our government has consistently condemned the presence and
expansion of settlements as being in violation of international law, in
particular article 49, paragraph six of the Fourth Geneva Convention. "Today
there are some 460 000 settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The construction of the Separation Wall we believe does not represent a
legitimate security measure. The Separation Wall, with a total projected length
of 700 kilometres, twice the length of the Green Line, will effectively become
a de facto border. "In this regard, South Africa presented a written legal
argument to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and also participated in
the oral deliberations in The Hague on 23 February 2004. In his Report John
Dugard, a South African law professor who is the UN's special rapporteur on
human rights in the Palestinian territories, dismissed Israel's argument that
the sole purpose of the vast concrete and steel West Bank barrier is for
security: "It has become abundantly clear that the wall and checkpoints are
principally aimed at advancing the safety, convenience and comfort of
settlers," he said. It is essence an apartheid wall.

Our government is totally committed to the principles and practice of
democracy and as such recognises the will of the Palestinian peoples as
expressed in the last elections. We also note that the most positive
developments in the region in recent months are clearly the Mecca agreement in
February 2007 that brought Hamas and Fatah together in a government of national
unity and the Arab League summit in Riyadh in March 2007 that reiterated
adherence to the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002.

The latter offers Israel full normalisation of relations with the Arab
League's 22 countries in exchange for full withdrawal from Arab territories
occupied in 1976 and a negotiated resolution of the Palestinian refugee
problem. Israel on 29 March 2007, following the Arab League summit, issued a
statement declaring that: "Israel is sincerely interested in pursuing dialogue
with those Arab states that desire peace with Israel. For this purpose a direct
dialogue. Between Israel and the Palestinians is necessary. Israel also
believes that moderate Arab states can fill a positive role by encouraging
regional co-operation, and supporting the Israel-Palestinian track. A dialogue
between these states and Israel can contribute to this end." This approach
constitutes a serious step forward but we recognise that the road ahead is
still arduous.

President Mbeki on 16 February 2007 wrote, "The balance of power in this
regard decisively favours Israel. To end the destructive conflict that has gone
on for far too long, will require the wisdom and courage of the more powerful.
The positive results that both the Israeli and Palestinian people pray for will
not come of their own accord.

"They will come about as a result of conscious and deliberate actions which
must be taken in the first instance by the more powerful. Each positive step
towards a just peace will create the conditions for the next positive step
towards a just peace, until the process towards a just and permanent peace
develops an organic logic and momentum that convinces all antagonists that to
resort to violence is to turn the guns against the irreversible prospect of
peace and security for all.

"But it is imperative that the first step is taken, the first building block
of peace put in place, without waiting for the perfect conditions for the
construction of peace, because those perfect conditions will never amount to
anything more than a dream forever deferred. The moment demands that all those
charged with the responsibility to lead should dare to sue for peace, inspired
by the same courage with which they have dared to go to war."

These views expressed by President Mbeki demand inspired and creative
leadership in the interests of the Palestinian and Israeli people, the region
and international peace, security and stability.

To South Africa, it is clear that the call for a new diplomatic strategy
involving all role players in the Middle East is increasingly being echoed by
many players in the US body politick and internationally.

The Baker-Hamilton Report for example emphasises the point that the problems
in the Middle East and Asia are integrated and a key aspect to a regional
solution is the Palestinian issue. It observes that the United States will not
be able to achieve its goals in the Middle East unless the United States deals
directly with the Arab-Israeli conflict. Thus there must be a renewed and
sustained commitment by the United States to a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace
on all fronts: Lebanon, Syria, and President Bush's June 2002 commitment to a
two-state solution for Israel and Palestine said clearly:

* there can be no military solution to this conflict
* the vast majority of the Israeli body politick is tired of being a nation
perpetually at war
* political engagement and dialogue are essential in the Arab-Israeli
dispute
* the only basis on which peace can be achieved is that set forth in UN
Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 and in the principle of "land for
peace."

Therefore it is our view that there must be a renewed and sustained
commitment to a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace on all fronts. This effort
should include the unconditional calling and holding of meetings, under the
auspices of the United Nations, between Israel and Lebanon and Syria on the one
hand, and Israelis and Palestinians on the other. The purpose of these meetings
would be to negotiate peace as was done at the Madrid conference in 1991, and
on two separate tracks.

Concerning the Palestinian issue, elements of that negotiated peace of
necessity should include:

* Adherence to UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 and to the
principle of land for peace, which are the foundation for achieving
peace.
* Consolidation of the cease-fire reached between the Palestinians and the
Israelis in November 2006.
* Support for a Palestinian national unity government.
* Resolution of the fiscal and humanitarian crisis facing the
Palestinians.
* Sustainable negotiations leading to a final peace settlement, which would
address the key final status issues of borders, settlements, Jerusalem, the
right of return, and the end of conflict.

The UN under Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari in a report to the Security
Council stressed: "None of us can afford another year like the last one in
Lebanon and the Middle East." Therefore a resumed political process between
Israel and the Palestinians was a clear priority. The massive destruction of
Lebanon, including the death of many civilians, by the Israeli invasion is a
constant reminder of the consequences of our failure to deal with the issue of
the independence of Palestine. All sides have a shared responsibility to
resolve their political differences through the democratic process and in a
peaceful manner, in order to spare their populations further anxiety,
insecurity and turmoil.

South Africa is equally concerned about the humanitarian crisis now
engulfing Palestine. A report by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says that one-third of Palestinians
in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are food insecure and becoming dependent on
food aid. Poverty has risen because of international sanctions, compounded by
Israeli restrictions on the movement of Palestinian goods and labour related to
security concerns. Key segments of the international community also cut off aid
to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas won parliamentary elections last
year.

The United Nations Report noted that the resultant weakening of the
Palestinian economy has also made previously secure workers such as fisherman,
farmers, and small traders increasingly desperate. According to the Report,
"Many people, who cannot afford to buy food, have been forced to sell off
valuable assets such as land or tools."

About 34% of Palestinians cannot afford a balanced meal and another 12% are
at risk of reaching this state, the organisations found in a Comprehensive Food
Security and Vulnerability Assessment published this month. Most affected is
the Gaza Strip, where 51% of the population suffers from food insecurity.

"The poorest families are now living a meagre existence totally reliant on
assistance, with no electricity or heating and eating food prepared with water
from bad sources," according to a statement by Arnold Vercken, the WFP country
director for the occupied Palestinian territories.

"Without a political resolution and particularly removal of restrictions on
movement improvement in the humanitarian situation is unlikely and millions
will remain dependent on assistance," noted the FAO/WFP report. "A substantive
injection of aid and social transfers has partially cushioned the declining
humanitarian situation in Palestine, but aid cannot fully compensate for the
loss of self-reliance."

Oxfam has called on the European Union not to miss what it called an
"opportunity to restore the faith of the Palestinian people in the Europeans'
role as an honest broker" of the Middle East peace process. Oxfam International
Executive Director Jeremy Hobbs said that "International aid should be provided
impartially on the basis of need, not as a political tool to change the
policies of a government", and he continued, "With Palestinian institutions
collapsing and insecurity growing, the resumption of international aid to the
Palestinian Authority is a necessary step to preventing further suffering and
securing a just and lasting settlement on the basis of international law".

The European Union (EU) was the biggest aid donor to the Palestinian
government until Hamas came to power in March 2006. Since then, the EU has
redirected its aid, worth 700 million euros (US $943 million) in 2006, through
a special mechanism to help the neediest people while bypassing the government
to avoid contact with Hamas.

The new Palestinian Finance Minister, Salam Fayyad, told EU leaders in
Brussels on Wednesday, 11 April 2007, that his government urgently needed a
resumption of funds. Mr Fayyad said that one billion euros ($1,35 billion; £681
million) in aid was still needed this year in order to avert a deepening of the
crisis. South Africa is of the view that it is imperative that the global
community and in particular the most powerful countries in the global community
of nations work assiduously to deal with this humanitarian crisis.

John Dugard in his Report has likened Israel's occupation of the Palestinian
territories to apartheid South Africa and says there should be "serious
consideration" over bringing the occupation to the international court of
justice. Professor Dugard said although Israel and apartheid South Africa were
different regimes, "Israel's laws and practices in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories (OPT) certainly resemble aspects of apartheid."

After describing the situation for Palestinians in the West Bank, with
closed zones, demolitions and preference given to settlers on roads, with
building rights and by the army, he said: "Can it seriously be denied that the
purpose of such action is to establish and maintain domination by one racial
group (Jews) over another racial group (Palestinians) and systematically
oppressing them? Israel denies that this is its intention or purpose. But such
an intention or purpose may be inferred from the actions described in this
report."

Gaza remained under occupation despite the withdrawal of settlers in 2005.
Professor Dugard noted that: "In effect, following Israel's withdrawal, Gaza
became a sealed-off, imprisoned and occupied territory." He said his mandate
was solely to report on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories.
And he described as a violation of international humanitarian law the firing of
rockets by Palestinians from Gaza into Israel. "Such actions cannot be condoned
and clearly constitute a war crime," he said, "Nevertheless, Israel's response
has been grossly disproportionate and indiscriminate and resulted in the
commission of multiple war crimes."

Israel's policy of extra-judicial killings is in direct violation of
international law that protects basic human rights, such as the right to a free
and fair trial. The policy also violates the Geneva Convention Relative to the
Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, to which Israel is a High
Contracting Party. South Africa strongly condemns the Israeli government's
policy of collective punishment and the consistent destruction of Palestinian
infrastructure as a means of weakening the Palestinian National Authority (PNA)
and its efforts towards state building.

At the same time, South Africa will continue to condemn all forms of
violence against civilians by all parties involved in the conflict including
Palestinian suicide bombings.

In conclusion allow me to say that our objectives for this important
conference and the measures of its success include:

1. Demonstrating African and UN alignment on, and joint commitment to, the
establishment of a viable Palestinian State, in the context of the two state
solution, at the earliest possible moment. The international community needs to
be mobilised in support of and in solidarity with the Palestinians in their
struggle for an independent state.
2. Creating more awareness on the African continent of the potentially serious
negative consequences of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the
international community.
3. Demonstrating African solidarity with the Palestinian people and encouraging
greater sub-Saharan African involvement at a time when this support appears to
be declining and some African delegations are no longer supporting Palestine at
the UN.
4. Ensuring that the Palestinian issue forms part of the African Union (AU) and
South African Development Community (SADC) agendas.
5. Supporting the UN's political work on the Middle East peace process – and in
particular the Division for Palestinian Rights and the Committee on the
Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People which goes beyond
addressing only humanitarian issues.
6. Promoting an informed understanding of South Africa's foreign policy towards
the Middle East, specifically regarding the Middle East Peace Process, in
Africa.
7. Calling for an end to the Israel, United States (US) and EU imposed
sanctions against the Palestinian government.
8. Offering a platform to the UN to maintain and enhance the
internationalisation of the Palestinian issue.
9. Offering an opportunity to officially record recent developments such as the
growing poverty in Palestine as well as the continued growth of settlements,
human rights abuse by the occupying power, land confiscations, the status of
political prisoners, etc.
10. Strengthening South Africa's role in the Middle East Peace Process.
11. Offering an opportunity to the Palestinian Diaspora, specifically
Palestinian academics, to participate and contribute to finding a solution to
the Israel-Palestine conflict.
12. Ensuring inclusion of members of Hamas in a UN meeting as part of an effort
to support the Palestinian unity government and erode the West's sanctions and
isolation strategy and the UN Secretariat's policy of non-engagement with
Hamas.

South Africa will work diligently with all parties to secure a just and
lasting peace in the Middle East. We will work within the Security Council and
the Non-Aligned Movement, and bilaterally to convince the powers that be that
this is an opportunity that should not be missed. The Arab initiatives and the
role of United Nations Security Council must be strengthened, for a truly
multi-lateral approach is the surest path to a successful resolution of the
Middle East crisis.

Thank you.

Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
3 May 2007