STATEMENT

by H.E. Ambassador Bui The Giang,

Deputy 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 January 2010

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Mr. President,

I thank you for convening this open debate during this very first month of the year. I thank Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Fernandez-Taranco for his important briefing.

My Delegation associates itself with the statement delivered by H.E. Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz of Egypt on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Mr. President,

This month last year saw the adoption by this Council of Resolution 1860 (2009) as a result of intensive negotiations among concerned parties following Israel’s offensive on 27 December 2008 in Gaza. A year later, assessments of the situation in the Middle East once again attest to its severity on multiple fronts. No substantive progress has been made towards a durable ceasefire between the parties concerned, the required resumption of peaceful negotiations on final status, and the sustained opening of border crossings. Israel has yet ceased its unilateral and provocative construction and expansion of settlements and the Separation Wall, demolition of Palestinian homes and eviction of their families, and revocation of residency permits, thus directly endangering and altering the demographic composition, character, nature and status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip remains shocking as a causal effect of the restrictions and blockade imposed on the local population. The recent resurgence of sporadic rocket attacks against civilians in southern Israel again stirs up deep worries.

Mr. President,

The vicious cycle of violence and counter-violence has sowed the seeds of confrontation, animosity and incitement for too long. In order to achieve a breakthrough into a new period in which an independent State of Palestine can thrive and all peoples in the region can co-exist in peace and security, all parties concerned should uphold their mutual obligations under the Road Map, the Madrid terms of reference, the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant Security Council resolutions. Constructive dialogue and political negotiations must be put first, whereas military option should be excluded. Israel must immediately freeze illegal settlement activity, dismantle outposts erected since March 2001, open all border crossings, release all Palestinian prisoners, and facilitate humanitarian assistance and reconstruction efforts in Gaza. And this State must do this with the utmost urgency and responsibility. Palestinian factions must make sincere efforts to resolve their differences within the framework of an intra-Palestinian reconciliation and jointly work toward the establishment of a Government of national unity. In the interest of the long-term regional peace and justice, we reiterate our calls for all the parties concerned to strictly comply with international humanitarian and human rights laws and conduct, without delay, credible domestic investigations into the many reported allegations of violations as recommended by the Goldstone Report.

In this overall situation, my Delegation again acknowledges the intensified efforts of the Quartet, the League of Arab States, regional countries and the international community at large in helping achieve a two-State solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict and revitalize the Middle East peace process on all tracks. We recognize the Palestinian National Authority’s determination, under difficult circumstances, to embark on practical policies and measures to strengthen socio-economic foundations, security sector reforms and functional institutions for a future State. We join the repeated calls from the wider membership of the United Nations and from many different parts of the world for peace, reconciliation and mediation in the Middle East.

Turning to Lebanon, we welcome and support the efforts undertaken by the Lebanese Government to strengthen the national course of peace consolidation, socio-economic reconstruction and normalization of external relations, and encourage the parties in Lebanon to jointly contribute to these endeavors. We demand that Israel immediately and unconditionally cease all violations of Lebanese independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, including by ceasing flights over Lebanese territory and withdrawing from the northern part of Ghajar village and an adjacent area north of the Blue Line. We reiterate our support for full implementation of Resolution 1701 (2006).

Finally, Mr. President, Viet Nam continues, as it has always been the case, to commit to joining the international community’s collective efforts towards the peaceful settlement of Israel-Palestine and Arab-Israel conflicts, and the ultimate attainment of a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East.

I thank you, Mr. President.