Annan welcomes Bush reaffirmation of goal to establish Palestine and provide security for Israel

Reacting to a speech today by United States President George Bush, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomed the US leader's reaffirmation that the outcome of the Middle East peace process should be the establishment of a viable and credible State of Palestine – based on Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 – and security for Israel.

Through a statement issued by his spokesman, Mr. Annan urged Israelis and Palestinians to "muster the courage and political will to make it possible within three years to replace the Israeli occupation of 1967 by a negotiated settlement with two states living side-by-side in peace and security."

Repeating Mr. Annan's long-standing position that "there is no military solution to the conflict," the statement warned that with the situation on the ground eroding by the day, the international community must to work swiftly with the parties to restart a political process that will lead to the realization of such an outcome.

"The Secretary-General looks forward to continuing consultations with the UN's partners in the Quartet (European Union, Russian Federation and United States) and with the parties and key regional actors to determine the next steps towards achieving this," the spokesman said.