Israeli pullout from Gaza could spark peace process given key conditions - UN official

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's proposed withdrawal from the Gaza Strip could contribute significantly to the search for peace, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, calling for the Israeli Government to provide a timetable for its initiative.

In an open briefing to the Council on the situation in the Middle East, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Danilo Türk said the pullout should have four main features in order to garner the broad support of the international community and strengthen its chances for success.

First, it should be carried out in partnership with the Palestinian Authority and as part of the Quartet's Road Map, which remains the only plan subscribed to by the parties and the international community, Mr. Türk said, referring to a plan sponsored by the UN, European Union, Russian Federation and United States that calls for a series of parallel and reciprocal steps leading to two States living side by side in peace by 2005.

The withdrawal should be full and complete, and it should be considered by all as a first step toward the fulfilment of the UN's calls to the Israeli Government to end its occupation as set forth in Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 1397 (2002).

Noting that in the aftermath of Sunday's suicide bombing, Mr. Sharon called off his planned meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, Mr. Türk urged the two men to meet in the very near future.

"The bloody stalemate that has characterized the peace process for too long will only be broken when the parties met at the highest level and begin to work together to implement the Quartet's Road Map," he said.

"Their partnership is the essential base on which the peace process must be built," he added, pointing out that while the region had seen an increase in violence, death and suffering, a small window of opportunity for restarting the peace process remained open.

Meanwhile, with the crisis continuing unabated, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) might soon be obliged to cut back its emergency activities severely due to a sharp drop in critical funding, Mr. Türk said.

In addition, the Palestinian Authority's financial crisis was also continuing, with outside funds required to make up for the shortfall in revenues in January, he said. While donor support had initially been seen as development assistance in anticipation of the establishment of a Palestinian State, and not as long-term budgetary support to maintain the Authority, the ongoing conflict had significantly altered those expectations.

Video of the Council meeting [16 mins]