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Part One of Two - On International Day Of Solidarity With Palestinians, Secretary-General Heralds Annapolis As 'New Beginning' In Efforts To Achieve Two-State Solution; Also Addressing Palestinian Rights Committee, General Assembly President Cites Tough Choices; Says Reconciliation Is Compromise between Remembering, Forgetting.

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M2 PRESSWIRE-30 November 2007-United Nations: Part One of Two - On International Day Of Solidarity With Palestinians, Secretary-General Heralds Annapolis As 'New Beginning' In Efforts To Achieve Two-State Solution; Also Addressing Palestinian Rights Committee, General Assembly President Cites Tough Choices; Says Reconciliation Is Compromise between Remembering, Forgetting(C)1994-2007 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

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As the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People was observed at Headquarters today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that Palestinians continued to suffer the indignities and violence of occupation and conflict, but a new beginning had been made in the efforts to achieve a two-State solution to the conflict when, two days ago, in Annapolis, Maryland, the parties pledged to launch negotiations on all core issues, without exception, to conclude a peace treaty resolving all outstanding issues, if possible, in 2008.

Addressing the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Mr. Ban said that the United Nations had few higher priorities than seeing that conflict resolved.

The United States-led process launched at Annapolis must change the lives of Palestinians, and secure their independence and freedom, he said. It must end the occupation and create an independent and viable State of Palestine, at peace with itself and its neighbours, and it must also deliver on the vital interests of Israelis: a Palestinian State that was a true partner and not a source of terrorism, secure and recognized borders, and a permanent end to the conflict.

"We must abandon piecemeal approaches, and address all aspects of the conflict," he said. Final status negotiations should begin in earnest, and address all the issues including Jerusalem, refugees, borders, settlements, security and water.

The broad outlines of solutions to those issues were clear.

The international community should also help the Palestinian Authority to "rebuild, reform and perform", while a wide range of donors should step forward with political and financial support at the upcoming Paris Conference and beyond.

General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim told the Committee that the outcome of the Annapolis conference presented a great opportunity for a permanent two-State solution, but required a resolute commitment to boldly follow words with deeds. The only way to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace was through continuous dialogue and compromise, and a resolute commitment to achieve a permanent solution. Israelis and Palestinians would have to be honest with their own people about the price of peace. That would require difficult choices and sacrifices from both sides. The stakes were high, but the alternatives were worse.

To achieve lasting peace, it was necessary to learn from the mistakes of the past and confront the causes of failure, he stated. True reconciliation required not only an end to hostilities, but also a change of attitude. Reconciliation was a fair compromise between remembering and forgetting.

Also commending the international conference in Annapolis to launch negotiations leading to an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Security Council President Marty M. Natalegawa of Indonesia said that the Council had consistently made efforts to create an environment conducive to progress for Palestinian statehood, consistent with the Road Map and relevant Security Council resolutions. It had also continued to support initiatives for the realization of two democratic States, Israel and Palestine.

The Council recognized the critical need to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in order to ensure security and stability in the Middle East and put in place a process to create an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian State, as envisioned in the Road Map, the Arab Peace Initiative and the joint understanding announced in Annapolis, he said. Of critical importance now was the need to provide financial and political support for the Palestinian Authority.

In a message on behalf of Mahmoud Abbas, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and President of the Palestinian National Authority, Yasser Abed Rabbo, said that security for both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples could only be reached through the achievement of just peace and through relations based on equality and mutual respect. The time had come to begin a new era without occupation or animosity, based on the logic of rights and not on the logic of force.

The...