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Foreign Minister against Stalemate in Middle East |
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Spindelegger: "Stalemate in the Middle East is playing into the hands of extremists"
Foreign Minister attends extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council on the Middle East
 Nathalie Schueller © BMEIA
Foreign Minister Spindelegger in New York
New York, 11 May 2009 - "The Middle East is at a fundamental crossroads for the revival of the Middle East peace process. A lot is still in a state of flux, and some important players have not yet finally marked out their positions. Therefore, it is important for the UN Security Council to define the framework now and to set clear signals“, said Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger on the sidelines of today’s ministerial-level meeting of the Security Council on the Middle East, which was initiated by the Council’s current Russian presidency.
The Minister pointed out to the fact that there has hardly been any movement since the last minister meeting of the Security Council on the Middle East four months ago. Spindelegger: "A stalemate in the Middle East is only playing into the hands of extremists. We cannot content ourselves with the current fragile ceasefire. We want and need a new start in the peace process. The UN Security Council demands an unmistakable commitment and full engagement from all sides."
In a jointly adopted declaration in New York today, the Security Council expressed the clear expectations of the international community toward the parties involved. The commitment to a two-state solution and a clear rejection of violence is at the very basis of any desire for peace. In addition, the Council stressed the importance of the Arab Peace Initiative for a comprehensive peace in the Middle East and the irreversibility of the peace process, and called upon the parties to fulfil their obligations from existing agreements.
Foreign Minister Spindelegger also used his visit to New York to hold bilateral meetings with the Russian Foreign Minister and current President of the UN Security Council Sergei Lavrov, the new Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, and the Costa Rican Foreign Minister Brune Stagno Ugarte, who co-chairs the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) with Spindelegger.
Moreover, an informal ministerial meeting took place on the sidelines of the Security Council meeting in connection with the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka, which was also attended by representatives of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and several NGOs (Caritas, Oxfam, Save the Children, Human Rights Watch).
During the subsequent press interview held together with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and British Foreign Minister David Miliband, Spindelegger stressed his full support for the efforts of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon toward a humanitarian solution of the conflict: "The open exchange of opinions with the aid organizations confirms us in our clear stance. We demand from both states an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and clear adherence to international humanitarian law. The practice applied by the Tamil rebels to use civilians as human shields must come to an end. On the other hand, the government must ensure the humanitarian supply of the refugees and full access to the refugee camps for aid organizations. Both sides in the conflict are responsible for preventing a humanitarian disaster in Sri Lanka. The ethnic groups must reach out to each other to establish the basic conditions for a sustainable political process."
Contact:
Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs
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