Statement Following Meeting in Moscow
(May 9, 2005)
The Quartet met today in Moscow. The Quartet emphasises
that this is a hopeful and promising moment for both Palestinians and
Israelis, and that they deserve the full support of the international
community in helping them with the hard work and difficult decisions
required in order to make positive use of this opportunity. The Quartet
welcomed the commitments of the parties at the Sharm
el-Sheikh summit of February 8 and urged them to renew their efforts
to fulfil the commitments they agreed to at that time, in order to maintain
momentum at this fragile moment of opportunity. The Quartet, underscoring
the urgency of the matter, affirms its commitment to fully support the
efforts of both parties to ensure successful Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the
northern West Bank.
The Quartet strongly reiterated its commitment to the
two-state solution, and to Israeli withdrawal as a way to re-energize
the Roadmap. The Quartet stresses
the importance of full and complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in
a manner consistent with the Roadmap as an important step paving the
way toward realizing the vision of two democratic states, Israel and
Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. The Quartet affirms
that a new Palestinian state must be truly viable, with contiguity in
the West Bank; reminds all concerned that a state of scattered territories
will not work; and emphasizes that no party should take unilateral actions
that prejudge final status issues. The Quartet also affirms that the
two-state vision and the Roadmap are the best means of achieving a settlement
negotiated between the two parties, leading to a permanent peace and
an end to the occupation that began in 1967. With respect to this, the
Quartet observes that the Roadmap has been endorsed by Israel and the
Palestinian Authority and remains the objective of the international
community; and urges both parties to take steps to fulfil all their
obligations under the Roadmap.
The Quartet expresses its ful1 support for its Special
Envoy for Gaza Disengagement, James Wolfensohn. His mandate is to focus
on the non-security aspects of withdrawal, particularly disposition
of assets; passages, access and trade; and revival of the Palestinian
economy during and after Israeli withdrawal. This will require close
coordination with both Israel and the Palestinians to identify and implement
those actions and policies that will ensure a smooth and successfu1
implementation of the Israeli initiative. On the Palestinian side, this
includes above all a strong commitment to security reform and performance;
and the building of transparent, accountable government institutions
and an investor-friendly climate, with a view to restoring growth. 0n
the Israeli side, this involves relieving the economic hardships faced
by the Palestinian people and facilitating rehabilitation and reconstruction
by easing the system of restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
people and goods and taking further steps to respect the dignity of
the Palestinian people and improve their quality of life - without endangering
Israeli security - and taking into consideration the World Bank report
of December 2004. At the London meeting on March 1, the international
community underscored its readiness to play a vital role by providing
financial support to the Palestinians at this critical moment. Creating
the environment conducive for a long-term, sustainable and viable economic
development of all the Palestinian territories would constitute a suitable
basis for additional assistance efforts by the international community.
The Quartet emphasizes Mr. Wolfensohn's mandate to
promote direct dialogue and cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis
on these economic issues, to ensure a smooth transition in Gaza and
parts of the northern West Bank. In this context, the Quartet stresses
the urgent need for Israelis and Palestinians to coordinate directly
and fully on withdrawal preparations. The Quartet recognizes that economic
development and progress on security go hand in hand as security reforms
and the reestablishment of the rule of law are necessary to create an
enabling environment for economic growth and political progress. The
Quartet also recognizes the need for continued efforts by the international
community to assist the PA in accomplishing these tasks, including rebuilding
the capabilities of the Palestinian security services. Ongoing assistance
by the international community, in particular members of the Quartet
and countries of the region, constitutes a significant contribution
to these efforts. The Quartet calls upon Israel and the Palestinian
Authority to facilitate these efforts.
In that regard, the Quartet expresses its full support
for General William Ward, U.S. Security Coordinator, to assist the Palestinians
in reforming and restructuring their security forces, and to coordinate
international assistance towards those efforts. The Quartet welcomes
the recent concrete steps that President M.Abbas has taken towards reform
of the Palestinian security services, and stresses the need to continue
implementation of these reforms in order to permanently reinstate law
and order in Gaza and the West Bank.
The Quartet commends the Palestinian people's and leadership's
commitment to democracy and attaches great importance to a successful
continuation of the democratic process. The latest round of municipal
elections has just been conducted. The Quartet commends the Government
of Israel for facilitating the operations. The holding of free, fair,
and transparent multi-party legislative elections in the West Bank,
Gaza and East Jerusalem, under the scrutiny of international observers,
will be another vital step forward on the path towards building a reformed
and accountable Palestinian Authority. As additional voter registration
for these elections has just begun, the Quartet calls on both the PA
and Israel to urgently take all necessary steps, including freedom of
movement for candidates and voters, to achieve this goal and renews
its offers of technical support and providing election observation services.
The Quartet deems it necessary to ensure continued
efforts aimed at full implementation of the Roadmap following Israeli
withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the northern West Bank.
The Quartet reiterates its commitment to the principles
outlined in its previous statements, including those of March 1, 2005
and May 4, 2004; and reaffirms its commitment to a just, comprehensive,
and lasting settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict based upon resolutions 242 and 338,
and will remain engaged with all parties to help ensure that progress
towards this goal is achieved.
Sources: United Nations Secretary General |