(As delivered)

STATEMENT BY H. E. MR. KOICHI HARAGUCHI
PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF JAPAN
TO THE UNITED NATIONS
ON AGENDA ITEM 36: THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST
AND AGENDA ITEM 37: QUESTION OF PALESTINE

30 NOVEMBER 2004
UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Mr. President,

At the outset, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences on the passing of H. E. Mr. Yasser Arafat, to his bereaved family, the Palestinian people, the Palestinian Interim Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization. Mr. Arafat, hoping to realize peace in the Middle East, concluded the historic Oslo Accords with Israel in 1993, was elected President of the Interim Authority by a direct ballot of the Palestinian people, and played a leading role towards building a Palestinian state. I sincerely hope that Palestinians will soon overcome their sorrow and be united to continue striving for the establishment of the independent state of Palestine, coexisting in peace with Israel.

The passing of Mr. Arafat has unexpectedly brought us to a turning point in the Middle East peace process. The international community must grasp the opportunity and make every effort in revitalizing the Roadmap and in moving the peace process forward in accordance with the Roadmap. Without a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there will be no peace or stability in the Middle Eastern region as a whole. In trying to cope with the new situation brought about by the passing of Mr. Arafat, we must reconfirm such recognition as a starting point for our future efforts.

Mr. President,

In our view, the most important challenge at this juncture is to ensure a successful implementation of the election for president of the Palestinian Interim Authority. From this viewpoint, it is crucial that both the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority cooperate in working towards a successful outcome of this election, and we welcome the ongoing consultations between the two parties for such cooperation. Japan, too, intends to make meaningful contributions for the success of the process.

Needless to say, it is vitally important for peace in the region that the new Palestinian leadership, committed to the promotion of peace, be elected with as wide-ranging support as possible from the Palestinians, and that it establish a responsible governing structure. The Palestinian side must take effective measures to control extremists. Israel must also cooperate in this joint endeavor, because it is necessary to resolve, in an appropriate manner, such issues as participation in the voting by Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the lifting of restrictions on freedom of movement.

Following the Palestinian presidential election, Israel's disengagement from Gaza and the northern West Bank is expected to be the next major task. We welcome this initiative of Israel's disengagement because, if it is implemented in conformity with the Roadmap, we believe that it will contribute significantly to the revitalization of the Roadmap. The withdrawal must be carried out in close coordination with the Palestinian side. I wish to urge our Israeli friends to give serious consideration to these points.

Mr. President,

We believe that the peaceful coexistence of two states, Israel and Palestine, is the only sustainable solution to the conflict. Based upon this belief, Japan has been making contributions to the Middle East peace process in both the economic and the political spheres. In the political sphere, Japan has been encouraging the parties concerned, through a variety of channels, to take positive steps to promote the peace process. From January next year, moreover, as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, we will actively engage in the discussions in the Council on peace in the Middle East.

In the economic sphere, since the Oslo Accords in 1993, Japan has been providing assistance to the Palestinians, amounting to nearly seven hundred million dollars, to support their efforts to establish the independent state of Palestine. In recent years, our assistance has been centering upon three pillars; response to humanitarian needs, reform and confidence-building. Now that we are entering into a new phase, Japan will extend further support for the efforts towards peace undertaken by both parties.

Mr. President,

Japan enjoys an extremely good relationship with both Israel and Palestine. I wish to conclude my statement by reiterating that Japan is always ready and willing to listen in earnest to the views of its friends.

I thank you.

Related Information (Japan-Palestinian Authorities Relations)

Related Information (Middle East Peace Process)

Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations Official Web Site