Nigeria has called for the peaceful resolution of
the protracted conflicts between Israel and Palestinian, saying it is
greatly concerned about the situation in many parts of the Middle East.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Amb.
Olukunle Bamgbose, delivered Nigeria’s statement at the UN General
Assembly ‘Debate on Question of Palestine and the Situation in the
Middle East.’
Bamgbose said: “Nigeria calls on all parties to make
genuine efforts to find peaceful solutions and to cooperate closely with
the UN and its relevant agencies accompanying them to realise this
objective.
“As the international community continues to seek avenues
to advance peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question,
international efforts remain focused on paving the way for Israel and
Palestine to return to meaningful negotiations.
“It is a situation that has reverberation around the region and even beyond.
“Nigeria believes that achieving a just, lasting and
comprehensive settlement of the question of Palestine is imperative for
the attainment of durable peace and stability in the Middle East”.
Nigeria expressed pleasure at the statement by the Quartet
envoys of Sept. 28, 2017, which welcomed the efforts of the
Palestinians to create the conditions for the Palestinian Authority to
assume its responsibilities in Gaza.
The Quartet stressed the importance of close and
continuing coordination of all efforts to achieve the common goal of the
two-state solution in line with UN resolutions and international laws.
“We also acknowledge the outcome of the Paris Conference
held on Jan. 15, 2017, at which 70 countries and international
organisations reaffirmed their support for the two-state solution.”
Nigeria said the international community must remain
undaunted in its commitment towards finding lasting and sustainable
solutions as the conflict continued to pose a threat to international
peace and security.
The country also urged all parties to show more commitment to making peace a reality.
Nigeria warned that “all unilateral actions that have
turned hope into confrontation, including settlement activities,
violence and inciting violence must stop”.
“Nigeria would like to see a genuine effort on the part of Israeli and Palestinian leaders to return to the negotiating table.
“Obviously, the current situation does not offer a
sustainable solution to the Question of Palestine. Indeed, it is
creating despair among the people of Palestine and causing anxiety among
the people of Israel.
“We believe that there are numerous specific actions that
are necessary to foster mutual respect and compromise, build confidence
and pave the way for the realisation of the two-state solution.
“In this regard, Nigeria encourages Israel to take
concrete measures to freeze all settlement-related activities in the
West Bank and East Jerusalem.
“On their part, Palestinian leaders must also signal their
readiness to return to the negotiating table by making enhanced efforts
to forge unity and deal with militancy and other internal security
challenges.”
Nigeria said it was beyond doubt that neither military might nor militancy would resolve the protracted conflict.
“We encourage both sides to take concrete steps to return
to negotiations on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions, the Quartet
road map, the Madrid principles, the Arab Peace Initiative and the
relevant agreements between them.
“Nigeria supports the efforts of the international
community towards establishing an environment conducive to a return to
meaningful negotiations to end the occupation and resolve the
long-running conflict.”
US President Donald Trump’s recent recognition of
Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has further heightened tensions between
the two nations and in the Middle East.
0 comments:
Post a Comment