STATEMENT

by H.E. Ambassador Le Luong Minh,

Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the United Nations,

at the Security Council Open Debate on

“The Situation in the Middle East, Including the Palestinian Question”

New York, 27 July 2009

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Mr. President,

At the outset, I would like to thank Assistant-Secretary-General Fernandez-Taranco for his detailed and comprehensive briefing.

Mr. President,

Over the past six months, the situation in the Middle East has remained worrisome. Almost no progress has been made on the implementation of Security Council Resolutions 1850 (2008) and 1860 (2009). Despite an announced ceasefire, incursions by the Israeli armed forces into the Occupied Palestinian Territory continued; the Israeli imposition of restrictions and blockage kept inflicting untold psychological, physical and humanitarian damage upon the very fabric of the civilian population in Gaza and adversely affected reconstruction efforts of United Nations agencies and the international donor community. Israel’s increased construction of settlements in the West Bank and its ongoing pursuit of the Separation Wall threatened to alter the legal status, demographic composition and character of Palestinian territories before final status negotiations could resume. And, Israeli civilians continued to fall victim of rocket attacks.

In the face of that situation, we welcome the intensified diplomatic efforts and the broad consensus among the Quartet and Arab League members, regional countries and the international community at large on the pressing need for early resumption of a fully-fledged peace process on all tracks. We also welcome the undertakings of the Palestinian Government to consolidate progress in revitalizing the socio-economic infrastructure, developing an effective security structure and establishing functional institutions for a future State. These positive developments do give us a sense of guarded optimism.

Mr. President,

For more than six decades now, suffering from most protracted hostilities, the Middle East has fallen short of a steady state of peace, stability and prosperity. Violence and counter-violence will not help contribute to a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region with which Israel can be assured of its security and Palestinians’ ultimate goal of setting up an independent and viable state of their own can be achieved. Peaceful settlement of disputes, constructive dialogue and good-faith negotiations could and should be the only option to help bridge the rift and cultivate the confidence between the parties, which is so essential after years of disruptive mistrust and confrontation. Viet Nam continues to support the Road Map, the Madrid terms of reference, the Arab Peace Initiative and call for strict implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions. We urge the new Israeli Government to stay the course of settling the crisis on the basis of the two-State solution, freeze illegal settlement activity, dismantle outposts erected since March 2001, allow unhindered access of humanitarian assistance, open all border crossings and resolve the fate of all Palestinian prisoners. We also urge Palestinian factions to promote national reconciliation, rally behind the Palestinian National Authority in preparation for the establishment of a national unity Government and future statehood. We commend the role played by Arab countries in this regard. To relieve the sufferings of the people in Gaza, we call upon the parties concerned to strictly abide by international humanitarian and human rights laws and extend necessary cooperation to relief operations being conducted by United Nations agencies and humanitarian organizations.

Mr. President,

 While welcoming the successful conduct of the parliamentary elections in Lebanon early last month, we, however, remain concerned about the recent security incidents in south Lebanon and support the investigation process carried out by UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces. At this critical juncture, we underline the importance of maximum restraint among the parties and the assurance of safety and security for United Nations peacekeepers, humanitarian workers and the local population. We urge Israel to cease flights over Lebanese territory and withdraw from the northern part of Ghajar village and an adjacent area north of the Blue Line. We continue to support collective efforts aimed at ensuring full implementation of Resolution 1701 (2006).

I thank you, Mr. President!