Mr. President,

It is a tremendous joy to see you in the Chair of the Security Council. On behalf of our delegation we wish to congratulate you on assuming the Presidency of the Security Council for this month of June 2002.

On 2 June 2002 a Ministerial delegation of the Non-Aligned Movement visited Ramallah and met with President Arafat in an expression of solidarity with the President and the people of Palestine.

President Arafat briefed the NAM ministers on the latest developments, including the implementation of new restrictive measures against the Palestinian people, which have effectively resulted in the balkanisation of the occupied territory.

The NAM delegation of ministers reiterated the movement’s outrage at the intensification of the illegal Israeli occupation, the killing, vast destruction, the economic strangulation and other atrocities committed against Palestine and its people; including the continuation of the settlement activities especially in and around East Jerusalem.

The NAM delegation of ministers reiterated the Movement’s support for the principle of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of their independent State with East Jerusalem as its capital. They reaffirmed the need for Israel to withdraw to the 1967 borders.

The delegation of ministers congratulated President Arafat on the signing of the "Basis Law" of Palestine; which is an important step towards the establishment of a constitutional law of Palestine.

The NAM delegation of ministers also expressed its support for all international efforts aimed at achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting solution. In this context, the movement unequivocally affirmed its support for the Arab peace initiative and the effort of the Quartet.

The NAM delegation of ministers noted that these efforts by the international community should form the basis of an international conference aimed at the establishment of a road map for the attainment of a lasting peace, and on the basis of the Security Council resolutions 242, 338 and 425 and the Madrid Conference terms of reference on land for peace principals.

The NAM delegation of ministers concluded the visit by wishing President Arafat and the people of Palestine success in their endeavours to find a peaceful solution to this long-standing conflict.

Mr President,

Now that the Non-Aligned Movement has actually visited Palestine and seen for itself the situation on the ground, our sense of urgency is even greater. The NAM remains convinced that something will have to be done about re-starting peace negotiations in the Middle East or the world risks a regional conflagration with potentially devastating consequences.

As the Security Council is aware, the Israeli army has once again attacked the Headquarters of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, directly endangering the life of President Arafat in the process. The fact that the Israeli army comes and goes out of the Palestinian cities and refugee camps should be an even greater cause for alarm. The reason is that the Israeli army believes that by maintaining a quite siege of the Palestinian territories, the international community will be fooled into believing that the situation is actually improving.

In actual practice, Israel has long since carved the occupied territories into a series of bantustans, forced the closure of the offices of foreign representatives in Ramallah and barred diplomats and journalists access to a number of sites in the West Bank and the Gaza strip. The ongoing military incursions, curfews and blockades serve only to deepen the humanitarian crisis and to paralyse the already devastated Palestinian economy. These violent actions therefore inevitably generate further frustration, desperation and violence.

The time has come for Israel, the occupying power, to acknowledge that the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for self determination cannot be thwarted by military might and attacks on their legitimately elected leader.

Mr President,

We fail to see how the Palestinian Authority can be expected to implement effective reforms and to establish conditions of calm and security if the Security Council does nothing to prevent the wholesale destruction of the Palestinian government institutions. We therefore call on the Security Council to take action immediately to ensure full compliance with its resolutions, particularly resolutions 1402 and 1403 (2002). Perhaps even more important is that the Security Council should seriously consider visiting Palestine as the NAM has already done. The Council should speak to people on the ground and assess the situation for itself, just as the NAM has done.

Otherwise, the world will always conclude that the Security Council remains idle whilst Israel pursues a hopeless task of trying to guarantee its security by perpetrating illegal acts of collective punishment against a civilian population. All acts of violence against innocent civilians whether they are Israeli civilians or Palestinian civilians should be condemned, regardless of who perpetrates them.

NAM wishes to repeat once more our principled position that Israel’s security and peace in the Middle East will not be achieved until the people of Palestine have a State of their own with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Thank you.